Edge
by Maria Keeth
Summary: Forensics and Star Wars. Obi-Wan comes back to Earth looking for help from Sitya on cases that have been plaguing the galaxy. Turns out there are some crazy people that must be stopped. does have violent scenes, but no sex.


Disclaimer:  
  
Star Wars isn't mine and the characters of Dr. Scarpetta, Lucy, Jo and Marino come from Patrica Cornwell's books. No money made in writing this. Just enjoyment and time wasted away.  
  
I would like to here from people. Either reviews or emails that at least say that you've read it. Good or bad I don't care. It's not as long as the other one and sort of continues on from the last one. I guess this one is a bit darker than the other one too. I even felt a bit uncomfortable writing some of the scenes and may not write another one like this, unless someone(s) wants me too, but I would like to hear from people. What characters they like and dislike and what plot lines I should follow, if you want stories on Dawn or Troi. Ideas for other stories. Stuff like that.  
  
I know the whole thing about a 23 year old working as a forensic pathologist is HIGHLY unlikely, but this fanfic so I don't care about being absolutely correct or realistic on everything.  
  
Forensics and Star Wars. Obi-Wan comes back to Earth looking for help from Sitya on cases that have been plaguing the galaxy for a couple of months. Turns out there are some very sick people on the loose that must be stopped.  
  
EDGE  
  
  
  
"Hey Cheeks. There's someone who wants to see you in the lobby." A very large man said as he breezed into the morgue, where Sitya was working.  
  
Sitya looked up from the autopsy she was doing and glared at the man who had just entered. She had been spending her last three hours with Detective Rich, a new police officer, who was particularly squeamish with dead bodies. Sitya didn't understand why he would be in here if every time he even looked at a dead body, it seemed that he would be emptying his stomach contents all over the floor. In fact he had been spending a great deal of time in the morgue. But he had questions relating to his new case, the one that was in front of them now, and Sitya was obligated to answer them. Right now she was trying to tell him the difference between and entry and exit wound that went through the bodies skull.  
  
"You'll just have to tell whoever's waiting that I'm busy." Sitya turned back to the body and brought lights around to illuminate the gunshot wound. "I also told you to stop calling me 'Cheeks'. You dumbass."  
  
An older woman walked over to where the conversation was taking place, "Is there a problem Marino?"  
  
The large detective looked over at the woman, "Naw Doc. Just some young guy out there who wants to see her." He jerked his thumb in Sitya's direction.  
  
"And I told you to tell him that I'm busy." Sitya stared fixedly on the bullet wound, trying to get the best position for the lights.  
  
Dr. Scarpetta smiled at the young woman. She had been working with her for the past three years and was amazed at what Sitya had been able to learn and accomplish in that short span of time. She seemed just as intelligent as her niece Lucy did, if not more.  
  
"I'll go deal with the young gentleman. See what he wants and if it's nothing important I'll get him to leave a message."  
  
Sitya grunted her thanks and started to point things out on the skull. "See this? The forehead? That's where the bullet went in…" she glanced up and saw that Detective Rich wasn't listening to her. "Are you paying attention?" she demanded.  
  
"I was just wondering…"  
  
"What?" Sitya asked impatiently.  
  
"Why does he call you 'Cheeks'?"  
  
Sitya just turned back to her work. She hated it when Detectives tried to make small talk. She had work to do, lots of it, and didn't appreciate someone wasting her time. "I don't know. I think it's either I make smart ass remarks or something's wrong with my butt cheeks."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with your butt."  
  
Sitya looked up at the now blushing Detective, and then glanced over to where Marino was leaning against a table, smirking.  
  
"Gosh Detective Rich. Thanks for taking the time for analyzing my behind, while I'm trying to answer your questions about this young man in front of us." She gestured down to the prone body and then leaned forward towards Rich. "I hope you weren't analyzing anything else."  
  
Rich immediately cast his eyes downward and mumbled, "I think I should go now."  
  
Sitya glared at him, "I think that may be a good idea. Next time you have questions be prepared to pay attention to what I say."  
  
Rich stumbled out of the doors apologizing. Detective Marino and Sitya were the only ones left in the morgue.  
  
Sitya went back to her work on the dead young male. She lifted up a clipboard and started making notes while moving around the body. Occasionally she leaned forward to get a closer look at something.  
  
As Sitya circled the body, she could feel Marino's eyes following her, trying to make her upset. He had done that to her the first day of the job and it never bothered her. It still didn't.  
  
"Don't you want to know why I call you 'Cheeks'?"  
  
Sitya shrugged studying the body, "Not really."  
  
Marino continued anyway, "It is because of your smart ass remarks."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Marino became quiet again and watched her, "Aren't you going to say anything?"  
  
Sitya set down her clipboard. "I'm going to open him up now. Do you want to help or are you going to leave?"  
  
Marino started walking towards the doors, "I'll go see what the Doc is up to and if she needs any help with that guy."  
  
Sitya had already turned back to her work as Marino was walking towards the doors.  
  
  
  
Dr. Scarpetta had changed from her scrubs into her suit and walked out to the lobby where the lone man was standing. He was tall and well built, from what she could see. He turned as he heard her footsteps approaching and faced her. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and wore a black sweater. His eyes were an icy blue and his hair was a fluffy sandy blonde.  
  
She held out her hand when she reached him. "I'm Dr. Scarpetta, Dr. Basts's boss. What is it that you want?"  
  
'She had a title now?' The man looked behind her and then back down at her. "I'm Ben Kenobi." They paused as they shook hands. He started to smile, "I had a feeling Sitya wouldn't come right away."  
  
Scarpetta gestured over to one of the sofas in the lobby and they went and sat down. "What made you think that?"  
  
Ben smiled again, "She never did leap to something when I asked her."  
  
"Well, she is busy right now and I don't know when she'll be finished. She has a Detective in there right now who has some questions concerning his case." She paused and looked at the young man. "Mr. Kenobi, may I ask how you know Sitya?"  
  
Ben shrugged, "Sure. We met about three years ago. We also promised we would keep in touch." He looked guilty. "We haven't exactly done that. I'm afraid she may be a bit surprised when she sees me."  
  
Scarpetta gave a little laugh, "I don't think there's anything that could surprise Sitya. Least of all a man. No offense."  
  
Ben's grin appeared again, "You'll just have to wait and see."  
  
He glanced over to the doors, which lead deeper into the building and saw a large man coming towards them.  
  
The large man stopped and stood over them. "Sitya just rid of Rich and she's opening the body up right now. She shouldn't be long." He peered down at Ben, "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.  
  
Scarpetta introduced Ben and did likewise for Marino. She knew Marino liked Sitya and only saw that he was protecting her. Much like he did with herself and her niece, Lucy. He didn't like unexpected people seeking out his friends for no good reason.  
  
However, Scarpetta thought that Ben was being truthful about knowing Sitya, even though she thought there was more to what he said. She even thought that Sitya might even consider him a friend.  
  
"Marino, it's nearly lunch time. Why don't I give you money and you can get lunch for four people." She reached into her wallet and pulled out two twenties and handed them to Marino. "No fast food. I want you to get sandwiches and juice."  
  
Marino glanced down at the bills in his hand and then back up at her. He didn't want this Ben having lunch with them. He didn't know enough about him. "I'll go to Subway then. Where do I meet you?"  
  
"The conference room closest to my office."  
  
Marino walked out of the building and Scarpetta asked if Ben would like to move to the conference room.  
  
She was happy to finally meet one of Sitya's friends. Finally she may learn something about Sitya other than her academic and professional life.  
  
Scarpetta led Ben through hallways towards the conference room where they would be having lunch. She saw Ben stop in front of an open doorway and looked in.  
  
"Is this Sitya's office?"  
  
Scarpetta looked inside the cluttered office. Papers were thrown everywhere and books were placed haphazardly on bookshelves and on the corner of her desk. Everyone had teased Sitya about the disaster area that was her office, they still continued to tease her about it. And every time Sitya swore she knew exactly were everything was and threatened to hurt anyone who tried to clean up.  
  
Scarpetta nodded, "Yes that's her's. How did you know?"  
  
Ben stepped closer to the office, but didn't step inside, "Just a feeling."  
  
Scarpetta studied him as he looked inside the office. She started to wonder where he was from and the rest of the story of how he and Sitya had met.  
  
Ben quickly looked around the room and smiled when he saw a picture frame placed on her desk. It was tilted so that he could see what it was. It was the picture taken after the grad party and after they had completed their mission. He looked around more and was disappointed when he saw the rest of the room was only filled with professional texts and tools.  
  
He stepped back from the room, "I'm sorry. Where's the conference room?"  
  
Scarpetta continued to lead him to the room and showed him in. She closed the door until there was just a crack.  
  
Ben sat in the middle of the table, his back facing the door and Scarpetta sat directly across from him.  
  
"What exactly did you and Sitya do that made you friends?"  
  
Ben looked straight at her, "We worked on a project together for about three weeks."  
  
Scarpetta looked doubtful, "That's pretty vague."  
  
Ben nodded, "Yes it is. But if you want a better answer you'll have to ask Sitya for one." He paused as he looked around the room and then back at her. "Did Sitya ever say anything about me?"  
  
"No. But she's never said anything about her personal life to me."  
  
She thought she caught a glimpse of disappointment on his face. Marino walked in with their food and started setting it on the table. "Maybe you could help me with that problem. Tell us something about Sitya from the time you've spent with her."  
  
Ben gave a wide grin, "Oh. I could tell you lots." His smile turned wicked.  
  
Scarpetta nodded and turned to the food in front of her. "Marino! I told you to get juice. And I never said anything about cookies."  
  
Marino shrugged and said down beside her. "I got the meal deal. If you don't want your pop or cookies I'll have them."  
  
"You should really watch what you eat." She scolded.  
  
"Jeesh! You're just like a mother."  
  
Ben looked down at his own foot-long sub, large pop and cookies. He glanced over at the extra meal next to him. "Should we wait for Sitya?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Marino! We'll give her ten minutes and if she's not here by then we'll start. In the mean time, you could tell us some stories."  
  
Ben leaned back in his chair laughing, "Well let's see. Where to start? When I first met Sitya I fell on top of her."  
  
  
  
The autopsy had gone quickly after Detective Rich had left and Sitya was on her way to Dr. Scarpetta's office to see if the person that was waiting for her was still there or had left. She really hoped that he had left. She had a lot of work to do.  
  
She walked into the outside office and saw Scarpetta's secretary sitting at her desk. "Afternoon Rose. Is Dr. Scarpetta in?"  
  
The elderly woman shook her head. "I heard she was in the conference room next door though."  
  
Sitya nodded her thanks and hurried out the door. She hoped there wasn't a meeting going on in there that she had had to attend.  
  
She burst into the room and saw Marino and Scarpetta sitting at the table. There was also another person across from them.  
  
Scarpetta looked up at her. "Good. You're here. We can start lunch now."  
  
"It's about bloody time too. I'm starved." Marino reached for his food and started to unwrap it.  
  
Sitya stared at the people in front of her. "Was I supposed to have lunch with you?"  
  
"No. But you still are." Scarpetta glanced up from her food. "I also think now would be a good time to remind you that you are coming to my house for diner tonight. With me, Marino, Lucy and Jane. You didn't forget did you?"  
  
Sitya's head snapped up in surprise. She had forgotten. "No…"  
  
"It's gonna be kind of hard eating while you're over there. Come sit down."  
  
Sitya moved to the table and pulled out the chair beside the man who hadn't turned around yet. "Did you get rid of the guy that was looking for me?"  
  
Marino pointed to the man sitting beside her. Mouth full of food he said, "He's right there."  
  
Sitya looked down and fell heavily into her chair, a surprised look on her face. "What the hell are you doing here!?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked at her and grinned, "You were trying to get rid of me?"  
  
"I…" Sitya looked over at the other two and saw they were smiling.  
  
"Ben has been telling us wonderful stories about you." Scarpetta said.  
  
Sitya was confused, "Ben?" she looked over at Obi-Wan and saw that he was still smiling. "Oh, right. Ben." Sitya pulled her food towards her and started unwrapping it. She whipped around to face Obi-Wan. "What did you tell them?" she demanded.  
  
"Enough to make them want to know more. I thought I would save the juicy parts for later, when you were here."  
  
The group ate and Scarpetta asked Ben questions about where he was from and what he did.  
  
When they were finished, Scarpetta then asked if he would like to come to diner with them tonight.  
  
"Sure. I don't really have anything else planned."  
  
Scarpetta nodded, "If you tell Sitya where you're staying she could pick you up on the way there. Or, Sitya could just take the day off for a long weekend and you two could catch up on old times."  
  
Sitya gave a soft hiss, "I have work to do. So I'll have to pick you up on the way there." She forced herself to look at Obi-Wan, "Where are you staying?"  
  
"The Royal Inn."  
  
"I'll pick you up at five." Sitya got up and excused herself. She headed to her office where mounds of paperwork were waiting for her. Inside her office, she shut the door and leaned against it.  
  
She let go of the breath she was holding. What was he doing here? After three years he just suddenly shows up unexplained. What was she going to do?  
  
Sitya walked to her desk and sat down in the lone chair that occupied the room. Glancing at the photo on her desk. Memories came back and she remembered the last time she had seen Obi-Wan. She groaned did she really kiss him?  
  
"Yes you did."  
  
Sitya quickly looked towards the door and saw that Obi-Wan was standing just inside the room. "Don't you know how to knock?"  
  
Ben walked in and closed the door behind him. "I did, but no one answered."  
  
"So you just walk in when no one answers?"  
  
Ben made his way to the front of her desk and glanced down at her. "I knew you were in here."  
  
"I hate it when you do that."  
  
Obi-Wan cleared a space on her desk and sat down. "You were broadcasting. You should really come to the Jedi Temple to learn not to do that."  
  
Sitya rolled her eyes, "It's not like there's any Jedi on this planet."  
  
"I'm here."  
  
"You don't count."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Sitya started to shuffle papers on her desk, trying to ignore him. "Why are you here?"  
  
It was Obi-Wan's turn to become uncomfortable. "Could it wait until after tonight?"  
  
Sitya gave him a look. "Alright. How long are you going to be staying here?"  
  
"That depends on you."  
  
Sitya gave a snort, "What does that mean?"  
  
Obi-Wan gave a little shrug and got up from the desk. He started walking around the room, pulling out texts here and there. Occasionally he glanced over and noticed Sitya chewing on her necklace. Something Qui-Gon had described to him a long time ago, an ankh, from ancient Egypt.  
  
Sitya shrugged and tried to work on what was in font of her. An autopsy report for the man that she had just finished.  
  
"Why didn't you write me?"  
  
Sitya didn't look up from her paper. "I've been busy."  
  
Obi-Wan became angry and he was surprised at his reaction, "That's not a good excuse."  
  
Sitya caught the hard edge in his voice and also started to get angry, "In my defense you never wrote me."  
  
"I've been busy too."  
  
"You just said that that wasn't a very good excuse."  
  
Obi-Wan ignored that, "I imagined that you would have at least kept in touch with Dawn and Troi."  
  
"Don't start that. I know what they're up to."  
  
"Do you?" Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Then I suppose you know that Troi has become a very successful Healer. And in fact is the most powerful one at the Temple. Masters that heal come to her with questions and she answers them without a second thought. She's also being considered to becoming a part of the Jedi Council."  
  
"Or Dawn has been on Middle-Earth, researching about the 'Guardians' and it seems that she has found rather interesting information about them, you. You would know about it, if you just took five minutes each day to write a little note to them. She's also helped the Jedi on missions to recover long lost artifacts that have proven to be most useful to us."  
  
Ben paused, "They are very busy, but they always have to time to talk or write to their friends." He finished angrily.  
  
Sitya started to feel guilty, "I've been busy." She said again.  
  
Obi-Wan stalked up to her desk angrily. "That's no excuse and you know it."  
  
"I'm sorry if I love my job very much and I want to do a good job at it." Sitya was getting angry again and stomped around her desk and stood in front of Obi-Wan. "You don't know how hard it is to walk in on a job that's dominated by middle-aged people, who've spent half of their lives trying to get where I am now. They hate me for that."  
  
Ben sadly looked down at her. "It looks like Dr. Scarpetta and Detective Marino are nice people and want to be friends. And I'm sure there are others. Your job shouldn't interfere with gaining new friends. Or loosing old ones." He started towards the door, "I'll see you around five," and then he was gone.  
  
  
  
Scarpetta leaned back in her chair and stared at the lessening pile of paper that was in her 'in' box. She felt she could do no more that day and glanced at the clock, it was three. She had to leave anyway to get diner prepared for tonight and her secretary had demanded that she be off work early today. Rose said she worked too hard, which she admitted was true.  
  
She thought about what she would be making that would feed six people. She would make lasagna and some salad. It would be easy and lasagna was always filling.  
  
Scarpetta got up from her desk and started to collect her things for home. On her way out she decided to stop by Sitya's office and see what she was doing, reminding her that diner would start at seven and that she would like her to be at her house by 5:30. She glanced in Sitya's office and saw her staring at her computer frowning.  
  
'Why didn't I tell Obi-Wan about this?' she thought. 'I've kept in touch with Croft and Riggs.' She wanted to tell him that, but didn't want to get into an argument with him again. 'But I still have kept in touch with old friends.'  
  
She heard a knock on the door and saw her boss standing in the doorway.  
  
"I'm leaving now. Just to remind you that I would like you at my house by 5:30."  
  
Sitya gave an absent nod and scribbled something on a piece of paper and stuck it right in the middle of her computer screen.  
  
Scarpetta was interested in what it said and stepped into the cluttered office. "What did you just write?"  
  
Sitya glanced up and gave a little laugh, "'Be at Boss's house by 5:30.' Seems that I forget that sort of stuff."  
  
Scarpetta stood in front of the heaped desk and looked down at her employee. "Yes. I've noticed that."  
  
Sitya worked on some more paperwork that was on her desk; it seemed that people staring at her never bothered her. 'What did bug her?' Scarpetta thought. 'Ben sure did.' "Sitya." She waited until the young woman met her eyes. "Why haven't you made any friends?"  
  
Sitya gave a little shrug, "Been busy."  
  
"That's not a very good excuse."  
  
She heard Sitya give out a long hiss of air, something she had associated to when she was angry and didn't want to show it. "I've already had this conversation today. Please don't make me go through it again."  
  
"You and Ben had this discussion?'  
  
Sitya gave a little sigh, "More like an argument."  
  
Scarpetta started to think about what she had thought earlier. Ben did seem to be the only thing that got a reaction out of Sitya. She decided to use that, to see what happened. "Was it a lovers quarrel?"  
  
Sitya gave her a sharp look of surprise, "What!?"  
  
"Was it a lovers quarrel? Did you and Ben used to be more than just friends?" Scarpetta looked at Sitya's face; she was definitely getting a reaction.  
  
Sitya's throat had gone dry when her boss asked her that question, what was she supposed to say, "I wouldn't go that far…"  
  
"Then what sort of relationship do you have with him?" Scarpetta knew she had no right to ask such personal questions, but she was curious and Sitya could just refuse to answer them.  
  
"Look. We were very close with what we had to do. We went through stuff together, some of it good and some of it bad. But it was the best part in my life and still is. I owe him a lot and I don't know if I'd be able to repay him for it."  
  
"Was it the sort where he saved your life?"  
  
Sitya closed her eyes and tried to think of what she could tell her boss without her thinking that she was absolutely crazy. "Yes it was. Others helped, but I owe him a lot more than the others."  
  
It was Scarpetta's turn to look surprised, "You're serious?"  
  
Sitya nodded.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Maybe later. It's a long story, but maybe some other time."  
  
Scarpetta nodded and decided it was time to leave. She got up, but was stopped when Sitya asked her a question.  
  
"Have you ever had the experience of having feelings for someone, but don't know how to express it? Like seeing someone after three years and still having feelings for him? Like you kissed him or something and don't know how to react, because of how long it's been?" Sitya's face was full of confusion and Scarpetta sat down again.  
  
"Yes I have."  
  
Sitya's puzzled face looked to her for answers, "What did you do?"  
  
"I just did what I thought was right."  
  
"But how did you know if it was right. And what did you do if it hurt?"  
  
"I just did it and accepted what happened." Scarpetta looked down at the uncertain woman. Sitya had definitely changed from the small time that Ben was here. "Just do what you think is right."  
  
Sitya gave a defeated sigh and leaned back in her chair, "But I have no idea what is."  
  
"One of the lessons of love, my dear." Scarpetta had a slight smile on her face as she walked out of the office. Sitya's face had turned even more confused when she said that. Scarpetta also wondered what would happen next to her employee and decided it would be interesting.  
  
  
  
Sitya was hard pressed for time. She had just gotten in her apartment when it was 4:30 and she still had to shower, change and pick out a bottle of wine for tonight's diner. She jumped in the shower quickly while thinking about what she would do Saturday. Probably work in the office and catch up on the never ending paperwork and the bodies sick people kept sending her.  
  
Sitya quickly got dressed in comfortable faded blue jeans and her favorite black shirt. She loved her job, but was always glad to get home and change out of her professional clothes. She really disliked all the skirts, blouses and suits that went with it. She wondered if Dr. Scarpetta would go for a casual wear day.  
  
Sitya grabbed her keys and ran out of her apartment to her new, black Mustang and gunned its engine. Flying out of her apartment's parking lot and headed towards the freeway.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a sign for 'The Royal Inn' and swore. She still had to pick up Obi-Wan, no better start thinking of him as Ben, so there wouldn't be any mix ups that she would have to explain.  
  
Cutting through traffic and earning a few fingers she found a parking stall and raced into the hotels' lobby. Breathing hard she looked around, doing a full 360 with her body. 'Where is he?' She completed her turn and saw Ben standing in front of her.  
  
"I wondered when you would see me," he grinned. "Running a little late aren't we?"  
  
Sitya glanced at her watch, "What are you talking about? I'm a full minute early."  
  
Ben continued to look down at her smiling and Sitya remembered her conversation with Dr. Scarpetta a few hours ago. She decided she wouldn't go there, at least not yet. She'd give herself time to think about how she felt, but right now she was confused again.  
  
"Then why are you breathing so hard?"  
  
"I almost forgot you." Sitya felt smug when she saw his grin vanish. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
Sitya unlocked the doors to her Mustang and climbed in. Ben followed on the other side and screamed, "What are you doing!?" when she pulled out into traffic.  
  
Sitya glanced back at the driver of a pisspot car behind her; he was giving her the finger. Number twenty for today. "What?"  
  
"You almost killed us!"  
  
Sitya shrugged, "I don't have to worry. I've got an airbag, I think I turned yours off."  
  
Ben looked at her horrified and Sitya laughed. "Could you please drive a little bit slower?" he pleaded.  
  
Sitya gave a sour look, "But that's boring."  
  
"I would like to live for another five minutes."  
  
"Only that long?" Sitya shot him a grin. "I could arrange for you to die in six."  
  
"But then I might end up on one of your tables."  
  
Sitya's face turned serious, "Yeah, I guess I wouldn't like that." She started laughing, "Besides, I don't think either of us wants to see the day when I see you naked."  
  
Obi-Wan blushed a little, "Why not? Do I look that bad? Besides I've seen you naked."  
  
Sitya shot him a look and purposely shot through two cars that where very close together, causing Obi-Wan to give a little yelp of surprise. "I was in water and you couldn't see anything." She became worried. "You couldn't could you?"  
  
Obi-Wan started laughing, "No, I couldn't."  
  
Sitya nodded satisfied and then became worried again, "You didn't tell Dr. Scarpetta or Detective Marino about that, did you?"  
  
"No, but I could. And I will if you don't drive properly."  
  
Sitya reluctantly obeyed. "You said something about Troi becoming a good Healer?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, "She's found out new Jedi techniques to heal different diseases. She's even worked with scientists to create remedies for diseases that have been thought of as incurable. There was even an outbreak of a plague on a planet that wiped out a great percentage of the population. The Republic was going to destroy the planet if the disease couldn't be contained. Jack even got sick. That hit Troi pretty hard. Troi found out what the cure was. There was a little village that wasn't affected by the disease. It turned out that they ate this sort of fruit that they grow and that's what made them immune. Troi made some medicine and it solved the problem." He paused. "I just realized something. Troi saves people and you cut them up." He laughed.  
  
Sitya gave him a dirty look; "They come to me dead. What about that whole Troi and Jack thing?"  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, "They're still an item. They see each other every chance they get. Jack's even told me that he plans to ask her to marry him soon."  
  
Sitya was surprised and happy, "He is! When?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged, "He doesn't know, but he's already showed me the ring that he plans to give her. It's made of silver and has a pale blue stone in it."  
  
Sitya was happy for her friend and again started to feel guilty about not keeping in touch with her friends. She wondered if she would even be invited to the wedding and even if she could make it.  
  
"Tell me about Dawn."  
  
"Like I said, she's been on Middle-Earth and has found some interesting stuff about the 'Guardians'."  
  
Sitya turned onto a ramp, "Like what?"  
  
"Well for one thing, there's this thing that says you don't age like the rest of us. It seems you slow down your aging process." He gave her a critical look. "In fact you don't look any different from the last time I saw you."  
  
Sitya snorted, "Thanks."  
  
"It's true, you don't. What do I look like?"  
  
Sitya gave him a quick look, "You look the same, stuck up Jedi that I remember. Maybe a few more wrinkles."  
  
"I'm only twenty-five!"  
  
Sitya laughed, "It's not that bad. You look the same, but still a little older."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"What is it with women and not telling their age or weight?" he joked.  
  
Sitya gave him a dirty look, "I'm twenty-two and 120 pounds, 5 foot 7 inches, my period starts…"  
  
Obi-Wan hastily held up a hand, "Alright. I get the picture."  
  
Sitya pretended a confused look, "But didn't you want to know that?"  
  
"Not that much!"  
  
Sitya laughed, "Tell me more about Dawn."  
  
"Rick's been spending time on Middle-Earth too. Little Jedi thing about learning new techniques and such." He also gave a little smile. "The two have been spending a lot of time together too. Both of them hunkered down in a library doing research and then charging off to find some long lost artifact. Dawn's been to the Jedi Temple too. Doing basic Jedi training and stuff like that. She's spending more time, becoming a Jedi now, but still likes to look for artifacts. Rick also tags along with her."  
  
Sitya smiled, she started to wonder what the Jedi Temple looked like and if she would like it. "What about Qui-Gon?"  
  
"He's still my Master and always disagrees with the Council's decisions about practically everything. We've been on a couple of missions together since we last saw you."  
  
Sitya gave him a little look, "And knowing you two, you probably caused havoc and got injured and had to spend a week in a hospital."  
  
Obi-Wan's expression was of innocence, "How did you know that?" he chuckled. "Oh. And Qui-Gon would like some more of that hot chocolate mix that he had last time."  
  
"That can be arranged. There's a StarBucks right next to my apartment."  
  
Sitya pulled into a residence area and pulled up to a gate, which had a little building beside it and a guard inside. She rolled down her window and spoke to the old man. "We're here to see Dr. Scarpetta."  
  
The guard asked her for her driver's license and checked the name, comparing it to something on a list in front of him. Finally he nodded and handed the license back to Sitya. "Alright. You can go in."  
  
The gate opened and Sitya drove up the road. Huge houses were on either side, surrounding them.  
  
Obi-Wan whistled, "These are some pretty big houses."  
  
Sitya only nodded, looking for Dr. Scarpetta's house. "She said it was a brick house what would have a gray Mercedes in the driveway. Help me find it."  
  
"I would if I knew what a Mercedes looked like."  
  
Sitya found it and pulled into the driveway. "Looks like we're the last ones here."  
  
Obi-Wan glanced out the windshield and saw a green and gray car sitting in the driveway, along with a huge black truck. "Ready to make your grand entrance?"  
  
Sitya just got out of the car and grabbed the bottle of wine along with her purse and started walking towards the front door. Obi-Wan hastily got out as well and followed her up the sidewalk.  
  
A woman a little older than Sitya opened the door, she smiled, "It's about time you got here." She opened the door wider and gestured them to come in. Obi-Wan could smell something cooking and it smelt wonderful. The woman introduced herself to Obi-Wan, "I'm Lucy."  
  
"Ben." He answered and allowed her to take his coat.  
  
"Aunt Kay is just finishing getting the lasagna ready and should be done pretty quick. Come into the living room and meet Jane."  
  
Sitya watched as Lucy took Ben by the hand and dragged him down the hall. She shrugged and hung up her own coat and then went down the same hallway, following the sounds to where she was supposed to go. She found the living room and saw that Ben was being greeted by Lucy's girlfriend Jane. Sitya sat down on the sofa. And soon Ben sat down beside her.  
  
Marino sat by himself in a chair while Lucy and Jane sat on the other sofa close together. Sitya stared at the fire and heard Marino ask if she wanted a beer. She answered no and was surprised when Ben said yes.  
  
"What? I'm not driving."  
  
Sitya snorted, "I wouldn't let you drive if you were sober."  
  
Ben looked hurt, "Why not?"  
  
"I still remember when you totaled my favorite blue truck."  
  
Ben looked sheepish, "Oh yeah…"  
  
Lucy looked up at him, "What happened?"  
  
"Einstein here wanted to learn how to drive. I let him use my truck, but he ended up driving around the yard and dumped it in one of the ponds. That was after he rolled it when he hit some loose rocks."  
  
The three in the room started laughing and Sitya had to admit now it was funny. After all that anger had gone away, she had to admit it was funny, expensive, but funny.  
  
Dr. Scarpetta walked into the room and said she had the lasagna in the oven and it would be ready in a few hours. "So, Ben. What do you do?"  
  
Sitya didn't know how he was going to answer that question, but it seemed he had an answer all planned out.  
  
"I work with computers. Fixing programs, making programs just about everything to do with the things."  
  
Lucy was interested; "I work with computers too. Maybe we could get together some time and talk, see what each other knows and learn something."  
  
Ben shrugged, "Alright."  
  
The group had conversations about anything that came to mind and Sitya was becoming aware that Ben's actions were becoming a little more erratic. She smiled; apparently being a Jedi didn't limit the effects of alcohol on the body.  
  
They got up and moved to the dining room when Scarpetta said that supper was ready. Ben and Sitya sat together, Lucy and Jane sat on the other side, Scarpetta and Marino sat at the head of the table. They ate together and still had conversations, but Sitya was alarmed when Ben brought up a subject that she really didn't think the others should know about.  
  
It was Scarpetta who again asked Ben about what type of project he and Sitya had done together and he answered.  
  
"Sitya and I and a bunch of other people went to another planet and we had to save them." He waved his fork around, "We had a time there didn't we Sitya?"  
  
Sitya gave him a look and she hoped would shut him up.  
  
He continued anyway, "Sitya and her friends are the 'Guardians'. They go and do stuff that's dangerous and try to save people's lives." He paused as he took another bite of his diner. "She even got hurt on that mission. Big, long, nasty sword right through her stomach." He pretended to stab himself with his fork.  
  
"Ben… I think you've had too much to drink." Sitya whispered urgently.  
  
Ben gave her a sour look, "No I haven't." He stopped and looked at the faces staring at him. He went back over what he had said and then understood. "Oh, right. I wasn't supposed to say that." He laughed, pretending to pass over his rant as something of a drunk man, "Don't mind me. Had a couple too many."  
  
Jane looked hard at Sitya, "That's how you got that scar?"  
  
Sitya looked over at her and thought evil thoughts about Obi-Wan and what she was going to do to him later.  
  
'Sorry.' She heard in her head, she shot Ben a look and then looked back at Jane, she saw that Lucy was leaning forward to her what she had to say.  
  
"What scar?" Sitya said innocently.  
  
"I've seen it too. It's on your right side and goes right through." Lucy stated.  
  
Marino became interested, "How come I've never seen the thing?"  
  
Sitya mentally shrugged. At least they hadn't caught on to Ben's slip up of being on another planet. "I got it while I was working out in the gym. Fell on a sword. I was just clumsy and not looking where I was going."  
  
Lucy gave her a once over; "I've never even seen you in a gym."  
  
Ben started laughing; "You should have seen her at her house. She had this robot thing that was programmed to kill her and she played with it!" He caught another one of Sitya's looks and shut up. "Another thing I shouldn't have said."  
  
Sitya was becoming angry. Three years of no one knowing what had happened to her. And then Obi-Wan comes in and blows it in less than two minutes.  
  
The whole table was looking at her again.  
  
"You mean, you could do back flips and all that funky kung fu stuff?" Marino asked.  
  
Sitya sighed, "Yes."  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"What about all this of going to another planet?" Scarpetta looked at Ben. "Are you from that planet?"  
  
Sitya leaned back in her chair and sighed. Obi-Wan gave her a pleading look, she was unsympathetic. "You made this problem, so you fix it."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and explained how he was from different planet, the mission that had taken place years ago and everything else that he thought was necessary to the others understanding about where he had come from and Sitya's past.  
  
Sitya sat back and listened to the whole thing and started to silently curse Obi-Wan under her breath when he told them about everything that had happened. The bath, kissing, and grad dancing scenes. Those earned more than a few chuckles from the others. She vaguely thought they were funny, but she still hated Obi-Wan for saying them.  
  
When he was finished Scarpetta asked, "You are absolutely serious about this?"  
  
The two nodded, Sitya's was reluctant.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"I didn't think you would believe me." Sitya answered.  
  
The room became quiet as everyone thought about what was said. Marino got up and asked if anyone wanted a beer.  
  
"Why are you hear then, Ben?" Jane asked.  
  
Obi-Wan looked over at Sitya. "I'd like to ask Sitya first if you don't mind."  
  
The others nodded.  
  
  
  
They had moved back to the living room and were drinking. Everyone, but Sitya. She didn't like what it did to her and would rather have control over her feelings than have a good time. She watched the fire and nearly jumped when she felt an arm around her. Obi-Wan had his arm around her waist and was pulling her towards him. She settled against his chest and was afraid to move.  
  
"Ben… What are you doing?" she whispered.  
  
She heard him chuckle, "Scared?"  
  
"You've had too much to drink." She tried to sit up, but he held her tighter. She gave up and sat back against him, making sure that he wasn't going to do anything else.  
  
Scarpetta looked over and saw the two on the couch and gave a little smile. Sitya looked over and saw her. Scarpetta was even more amused when she saw Sitya blush and look away. Apparently Ben was going to be one of her first love's lessons.  
  
  
  
Sitya had decided that it was time to leave when she saw it was past one. She got up and pulled Ben with her to the car. He didn't cooperate and Sitya had to strap him in herself. 'Definitely too many beers,' she thought.  
  
She thanked Dr. Scarpetta for the supper.  
  
"Please call me Kay when not at work."  
  
Sitya looked at the woman and slowly nodded, she waved goodbye to the other three and promised that she would see them again some time.  
  
"Next time we do it at your place." Marino stated. "The Doc here always makes Italian food. We need something different."  
  
Sitya gave a little laugh. "The only thing you could get at my house are pizza pops and Kraft Diner."  
  
Marino gave a little shrug as he popped open another beer. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
  
  
Sitya pulled up to Obi-Wan's hotel and stopped the car. He was fast asleep and didn't budge when she shook him or when she hit him in the arm. Sitya sighed and sat back in her seat. What was she supposed do?  
  
She leaned forward and peered into the hotel's lobby, no one was at the desk. Not very good policy, she thought. Again she sat back in her seat and looked over at the sleeping man. She didn't know what room he was in and she didn't feel like digging in his pockets for his keys. She sighed and started the engine again and headed to her apartment.  
  
She parked in her stall and got out of the car. She stood outside the passenger door and stared down at Obi-Wan. How was she going to carry him up to her apartment? Where was he going to sleep? There were two extra bedrooms in her apartment, but those were on the second floor, along with her own. She was tired and didn't feel like dragging his heavy body up a flight of stairs.  
  
"Need any help?"  
  
She turned around and saw one of the three apartment guards coming towards her. She remembered his name, Trevor.  
  
"Yes please. That would help a lot."  
  
She undid Obi-Wan's seat belt and then she and Trevor half-carried and half dragged him to the elevator. Sitya reached forward and pushed for the 20th floor, the top one and where her apartment was located.  
  
The elevator dinged open and the two stepped out, dragging the third with them. Obi-Wan gave up a groan and mumbled something about beer being evil. He leaned on her heavily and she missed getting her key in the keyhole.  
  
"Damnit Kenobi! Why do you always act stupid whenever I see you." Sitya glanced at the guard, who was smiling. "Thanks Trevor, I can handle it from here."  
  
Trevor gave her a little bow and got back on the elevator.  
  
Sitya finally got her door unlocked and stepped inside. A reluctant Obi-Wan following. At least he was partially helping, Sitya thought.  
  
She turned on lights and her apartment was filled with color.  
  
"Turn them off." Obi-Wan groaned. He squinted his eyes and looked around. "Nice place."  
  
The space was wide open, even with furniture it was still roomy. The whole front was windows looking over the city and had a view of the glowing city. On their right there was a stairway leading up to the second floor. The kitchen and Sitya's office/library was beneath the second floor, along with an extra bathroom.  
  
Sitya started heading towards the couch that faced a fireplace.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Putting you to bed."  
  
"I don't want to sleep on a couch." Obi-Wan said childishly. "I want a bed."  
  
Sitya sighed and turned back to the staircase.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"You are going to bed."  
  
They were a quarter way up the stairs and Obi-Wan stopped. "I don't want to go to bed."  
  
"Yes you do."  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, "No."  
  
"Yes." Sitya started the climb again and finally got herself and Obi- Wan on the second floor. She led him into the closest guest bedroom. She was slammed against the doorframe when Obi-Wan fell asleep again and started snoring. "Shit!" Sitya exclaimed. She heaved Obi-Wan off her and dragged him towards the bed.  
  
She was trying to figure out how to get him on the bed and tried to throw him on. It didn't work as well as she thought and she fell on the bed as well, Obi-Wan landing on top of her.  
  
"Great." Sitya mumbled. She glared at the sleeping man and willed him to wake up. When he didn't she tried to struggle out from under him and mildly wondered how it would look if someone walked in. Don't think about that! She screamed at herself.  
  
Sitya sighed and stopped trying to free herself. She gave another look at Obi-Wan and swore she would give him an ear full in the morning and hoped he would still have a headache. She remembered how she had planned to go to work tomorrow; she would have to get some sleep if she planned to stay awake at work.  
  
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan slowly opened his eyes and groaned when the suns rays stabbed his eyeballs. He saw that he was in a room and that the curtains weren't closed. 'What kind of idiot leaves the curtains open when they want to sleep?' he thought.  
  
He then became aware of something beside and under him. He looked down and almost gave a cry of surprise when he saw what it was. Instead of a cry, it came out as a sort of choke and he saw Sitya starting to wake up.  
  
He tried to get up, but when he quickly moved to get up he found out that his arm was underneath her. He fell down on top of her again when his arm didn't follow his body.  
  
Sitya felt the air rush out of her body, "Would you stop doing that?" she asked. "You do that a lot don't you?"  
  
"I don't do it a lot." He said as he slowly worked his arm free.  
  
Sitya sat up quickly and got off the bed. "So you only do it with me?"  
  
Obi-Wan blushed, "No."  
  
Sitya decided to tease, "So you do it with other girls too?"  
  
"No!"  
  
Sitya started laughing as she made her way out of the room. "Still have a headache?"  
  
"No."  
  
Sitya frowned. "Too bad. I really wanted you to suffer for what you did to me."  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
Obi-Wan thought back to the other night and thought he remembered a lot about what had happened. He groaned, "I had too much to drink."  
  
Sitya nodded, "That's right. Don't do it again, 'cause I don't feel like dragging you around when you're drunk." She paused and looked at him, "I'm going to be going to work today. Do you want me to drop you off at your hotel?"  
  
"Can't I stay here?" he surprised himself when he asked it.  
  
Apparently Sitya was surprised too, "Alright… There's not much to do around here. I could give you my extra key and you could walk around outside if you wanted to."  
  
"That would be nice."  
  
Sitya studied him, wondering if he was still slightly drunk. "Want some breakfast?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Sitya disappeared out the door and he could hear her walking down stairs. "Make it yourself."  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan sat at the table and looked around Sitya's apartment. It was as devoid of personal effects as was her office. No photos of friends or such could be seen. He wondered why. He got up and decided to move to the windows and looked outside. It was a beautiful day, no clouds in the sky and the sun was shining brightly. He squinted his eyes against the glare and thought he saw his hotel and the building where Sitya worked.  
  
Sitya had gone upstairs again to shower and change. She was angry at herself for sleeping in and thought she would have to stay longer than she had planned the night before. She hoped that no homicides or suicides had happened before, because she really didn't feel like doing an autopsy. She didn't think of that selfishly, she really hated it that people could kill others or themselves, she was just tired and wanted to come home as soon as possible.  
  
She came down the stairs and saw Obi-Wan standing by the windows looking out. He glanced up at her as she came downstairs.  
  
"Nice suit."  
  
Sitya glanced down at her black pants and jacket and the white blouse underneath. "Thanks."  
  
She moved to the window and saw what a gorgeous day it was. She felt sorry for herself when she thought of her time being spent inside a building. She started to chew on her necklace.  
  
"I never pictured you in a suit before."  
  
"That's what you said about me being in a dress too." Sitya said absently.  
  
"You look nice."  
  
Sitya gave him a quick look. "Thanks." She started to move to her door and picked up her keys. "There's a bathroom upstairs in the bedroom where you slept. And one down here, under the second floor. Feel free to have a shower. I don't have any extra clothes for you to wear, like last time. You're going to have to pick up your clothes at your hotel and come back or just stay there." She picked up a key that was attached to a thick purple string. "This key is for my apartment, and this one is for the entry way into the apartment building. If you need any help with anything, directions and such, you can ask one of the guards on duty at the front door." She wrote down something on a piece of paper. "This is my office number, cell phone number, pager number and if it's an emergency there's Dr. Scarpetta's pager. Only if you can't get a hold of me."  
  
Sitya put her hand on the door, "Try to be good."  
  
Obi-Wan ran up to her. "Don't go yet."  
  
Sitya became impatient, "Obi-Wan, I'm already really late."  
  
"Are you supposed to go into work today?"  
  
"No… But I have to stuff to work on."  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged and stood in front of the doorway, blocking her way out. "I have to talk to you."  
  
Sitya sighed, "Fine. Out with it."  
  
He made her sit on a couch and he sat beside her. "There's something that I want to ask you. It's something that the Jedi Council wants you to do."  
  
Sitya's temper flared, "After that great huge spiel yesterday about not keeping in touch friends, you've just come here to ask me to do a job!?"  
  
Obi-Wan winced, remembering that conversation. She was right; he was only here to ask her to do a job. "I wanted to come."  
  
"You're still only here to ask me to do something! Not because you wanted to see how I was doing!"  
  
Obi-Wan looked at her and saw she was incredibly angry, "Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?"  
  
Sitya shrugged, "It seems that all you ever really want to talk about is missions and the Jedi. So go ahead. I'm all ears." She said bitterly.  
  
Obi-Wan sighed. "We have a problem on Coruscant, well the galaxy does really."  
  
He heard Sitya snort.  
  
"There's been these killings, we know it's the same killer because there's this coin that's left at the scene of everyone. No one outside the investigation knows about it. The victims have been killed from a wide variety of things, a lightsaber included. The Council wants you to come to Coruscant and investigate, help us find this killer."  
  
"Do you know if the killer is a Jedi?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged, "We don't know. Every single one of the Jedi murdered has had their lightsaber taken from them. It could be someone who's found a lightsaber and used it. But it would still be difficult for the killer to kill a Jedi if he or she wasn't one."  
  
"How long and how many?"  
  
Obi-Wan sighed, "It's been going on for about three months and as far as we can tell there's been fifty victims."  
  
Sitya's head snapped up to look at him, "Fifty and they all have that coin?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and watched Sitya as she became silent, she started to chew on her necklace again.  
  
Obi-Wan grew nervous when she didn't say anything for five minutes. "Will you help us?"  
  
Sitya looked over at him, "No." She got up and moved back to the door.  
  
Obi-Wan was shocked, "Why not?"  
  
Sitya started laughing, "Why not? I'll tell you why. I've had my share of Hannibal Lecters on Earth."  
  
She saw Obi-Wan's blank look, "Never mind." She muttered.  
  
"That doesn't tell me why you won't help us."  
  
"I've seen enough violent deaths to last me a lifetime. I don't need to go trumping off to some other galaxy and help them fix their problems, while my job is here. Don't you have people over there who can help you?"  
  
She didn't let Obi-Wan finish; she stalked to the door and stormed out. She pressed for the elevator and waited. Hoping it would get up here before Obi-Wan came out of the apartment as well.  
  
"If I tell you everything will you help?" he pleaded.  
  
The elevator opened and Sitya stepped inside. She waited for the elevator's doors to almost close. "No."  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan stormed back into the apartment, furious with Sitya and himself. Why didn't she agree and why couldn't he get her to help? He was in trouble and Sitya was in danger, although she didn't know it yet and Obi- Wan hadn't wanted to tell her.  
  
He paced in front of the windows and tried to figure out what to do. He figured this was an emergency and picked up the piece of paper Sitya had scribbled numbers on. He found Dr. Scarpetta's number and stood in front of the phone. Now, if he could remember how to use one.  
  
He picked it up and dialed the number, waited and then hung up, waiting for the Doctor to answer his call.  
  
  
  
Sitya parked her car at work and climbed out. Walking into the building, she didn't see anyone and walked to the guard's desk, just to tell him that she was in and not to worry about activity in the morgue and the third floor where her office was. The guard told her that there was one other worker in the building and that he was in the morgue.  
  
Sitya decided to go down there first and see if any help was needed. Walking into the morgue she saw Dr. Fielding was working on a young girl, who had arrived early in the morning.  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
The older man looked up, his strong body nearly stretching his scrubs. "Got caught in cross fire between two drug gangs."  
  
"Is she the only one?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Need any help?"  
  
Dr. Fielding shook his head, "She's the only one who has come in. I'm almost done. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Called the terrible plague of paperwork."  
  
The man gave a laugh, "Know the feeling. I've got a ton waiting for me too."  
  
Sitya said goodbye and made her way up to her office and sat down at her desk. Giving the 'in' box an evil glare, she reluctantly reached for the one on top and picked up a pen.  
  
  
  
Ben let Dr. Scarpetta into Sitya's apartment. "Lucy wanted to come too." She pointed to her niece who was behind her.  
  
Ben nodded and closed the door behind them when they entered.  
  
Dr. Scarpetta looked around her. She'd never been in Sitya's home before. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"  
  
"Let's sit down."  
  
Lucy and Scarpetta sat on the couch while Ben stood and paced, trying to find the best way to ask for their help. He sighed, "Sitya's in trouble." He started.  
  
"How?" Scarpetta was immediately concerned.  
  
"We need her help where I'm from." He quickly explained who 'we' were, the Jedi Council and then everything that he had told Sitya this morning and why she had refused. He also continued to tell them what he was about to tell Sitya when she got on the elevator and left.  
  
"The killer or has done something different on the last few people he's killed. At first he just left warnings about someone he would kill, but never named that person. On the last one he explained how to get here, to Earth and where he could find Sitya." Obi-Wan paused and collected his thoughts. "There's only a few people who know about how to travel to different galaxies and the Jedi and others who know about the passage are worried." He gave them a look. "I can't even tell you where the passage is. It's not up to me to tell you and I would be punished if I did, so you wouldn't know where Sitya would be if she goes. The whole thing is very hush hush."  
  
Scarpetta nodded her understanding, "Go on. Tell me about the threat the killer made to Sitya. And how do you know it was from the killer and not some other psycho."  
  
"First, in every single letter, the writer wrote about all the crime scenes, what they looked like and what Security found at each sight. The writer knew a lot more than the public, stuff that's not known to others besides the ones involved in the investigations. It seems like he wants to play a game with her and to be honest the Council and… myself, don't want her to become involved. But from everything we've heard about her and her past experiences points to her as being the only one who could possibly outsmart the killer and catch him."  
  
"What makes you think that Sitya would be safer where the killer is than here?"  
  
"No offense, but if it is a Jedi, no one would have a chance of saving Sitya. You don't know the extent of our powers, what we can do. If she comes with me, to Coruscant, she could at least be protected by other Jedi."  
  
Lucy spoke, "But you just said that other Jedi have died."  
  
Obi-Wan slowly nodded, "That's true, but there'll be a great many Jedi all around her at all times. All the victims have been reported missing when they were alone, no one watching." He gave them a pleading look, "Please, help me make her understand."  
  
Scarpetta sighed, "I can't make her do anything outside her job and she's doing a terrific job too. But I can talk to her."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded his head, "Thank you. Can you talk to her now?"  
  
Lucy gave a little laugh, "I think you should be a bit more presentable, that odor you're giving off isn't very pleasant and you should change your clothes."  
  
"All of them are in my hotel room."  
  
"Then that's our first stop." Scarpetta stated.  
  
  
  
Sitya heard a knock on her door and looked up from her desk. She had made a considerable dent in the 'in' box and now the majority of the paper was in the 'out'. "Dr. Scarpetta? What are you doing here?"  
  
The doctor walked into the room, followed by her niece and Sitya's mood darkened when she saw Obi-Wan step inside as well.  
  
"We have to talk." Her boss stated.  
  
Sitya glared at Obi-Wan, "You told them?"  
  
"I had too."  
  
Scarpetta ignored the exchange and had them assemble in the same conference room, where Sitya and Obi-Wan had first seen each other, after three years.  
  
"It seems that you have a problem, Dr. Basts."  
  
Sitya's head started to go into high gear, she only called her that when she was really, really serious. "What's that?"  
  
"Your friend here asked you to help solve a problem and you refused."  
  
Sitya coldly looked at Obi-Wan, "And I told him my reasons."  
  
"That's true, but you also didn't listen to the whole story."  
  
"I heard more than enough."  
  
"Then, I'll have to ask you to listen now."  
  
Obi-Wan hurriedly explained everything to her and what had been discussed at her apartment, while she was at work.  
  
Sitya gave him a bored expression, "My answer is still the same. I have a job here and I would like to keep it, instead of running on some crusade on another planet."  
  
Scarpetta sighed, "Sitya. You will still have your job when you get back. Three years ago I had the same staff as I do now, without you. Back then we could handle whatever was thrown at us and I'm sure we could do it again." She paused, thinking about how wrong this may sound. "You've never been away from work since you started, think of this as a sort of vacation time."  
  
Sitya gave her a shocked look, "This is what you think what a vacation is? I'd hate to see you on an official holiday."  
  
"Sitya… you don't refuse to help your friends, especially with a serious problem like this. If you don't say yes, I'll order you to go. On the grounds of an international problem."  
  
Sitya sighed, "Alright." She stood up. "I have to go home and pack."  
  
  
  
She left for her apartment without waiting for Obi-Wan. 'He can get his own ride. He managed to get here without me.' The first thing she did when she got home was pass on an email to Riggs and Lara, about where she was going, not the reasons, just where. When she sat typing she was again reminded of her conversation with Obi-Wan about not keeping in touch. 'What a hypocrite.' She thought.  
  
She then went upstairs and began packing, just a few jeans and her favorite styled shirts and other necessary things. She was just zipping up her bag when she heard the door open again and then footsteps coming upstairs. She heard them stop just outside her bedroom.  
  
"I got the tickets to England. We leave in an hour."  
  
Sitya continued to move around the room, checking to see if there was anything she had forgotten. "Just let me get my medical bag and then I'm ready."  
  
Obi-Wan stepped aside as Sitya brushed passed him and walked down the stairs. He followed her down and watched as she picked up her medical bag and then checked her purse to make sure she had her passport and other travel documents. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
Sitya and Obi-Wan stepped off the plane and made their way down the walkway. The stepped out into the main airport terminal and moved into the massive crowd.  
  
"Sitya. Sitya!!"  
  
Sitya looked around and saw a woman shoving her way towards them. "Lara?"  
  
Sitya made her way to Lara Croft and they gave each other a hug. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I got your email."  
  
"I didn't mean you had to meet us."  
  
Lara shrugged and then glanced at Obi-Wan, "How are you?"  
  
Obi-Wan gave a little shrug, "Alright, I guess."  
  
Lara stood back and saw that Sitya was pointedly ignoring him. 'What's happened there?' she wondered. She took Sitya's had and guided her through the airport and into the parking lot. "I do hope that you'll spend the night."  
  
Sitya pointed behind her to the back of the car, where Obi-Wan was sitting, "Ask the boss." She said coldly.  
  
Obi-Wan grimaced, "I think that would be alright."  
  
Lara nodded, "Good."  
  
  
  
Sitya had just finished the wonderful supper, which Hillary had prepared, Lara's butler. She walked up to her room and went to have a bath. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but first she felt like she needed to get all of the travel dirt off her.  
  
She finished her shower and dressed in loss fitting sweat pants and cotton T-shirt. She went over to the bed and about to lie down when there was a knock on her door. She groaned and walked over to open it. Lara was standing outside.  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"It's your house."  
  
Lara stepped into the room and looked at the young woman before her, "What's the problem between you and Obi-Wan?"  
  
Sitya snorted, "You don't go for subtlety do you?"  
  
Lara shrugged, "Neither do you." She crossed her arms and waited for an answer.  
  
Sitya sighed, "He went behind my back and got someone to make me come with him. He told me what he needed me to do and I said no, giving reasons why. He went to my boss and she practically ordered me to come. I really didn't appreciate him doing that."  
  
Lara stood in front of her, "He told me why he had your boss make you come and I have to agree with him. You should really go with him. You're in danger and the only ones who can really protect you are the ones on his planet. I have to say that he made the right choice."  
  
Sitya got angry again, "He told you?" Lara nodded. "I don't believe this! You still think it's a good idea for me to go, even though this killer wants me dead?"  
  
Lara nodded again. "Sitya have you ever given thought that Obi-Wan only did what he did, because he cares for you?"  
  
Sitya snorted, "I don't want to and I won't." She looked over at her friend. "I'm tired."  
  
Lara slowly walked to the door and closed it behind her.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Lara had dropped them off at the underground and Sitya and Obi-Wan had ridden on the Hogwarts Express, neither of them had said anything to each other. Obi-Wan wanted to, but he dared not. He could still see that Sitya was angry at him, he could see it and feel it.  
  
Sitya got off the train and picked up her bags heading to a carriage that was waiting for them. Obi-Wan wordlessly followed. They climbed in and the carriage made it's way to the school of witchcraft and wizardry.  
  
Sitya looked up at the towers and wondered if Ron, Harry or Hermoine were still there. They would have finished school, but maybe they were now teaching. Sitya gave a slight smile when she thought of her two male friends teaching. She would have to see it to believe it.  
  
The carriage stopped. The two climbed out and they were greeted by Headmaster Dumbledore. "Welcome to Hogwarts." He said warmly. "Everything is prepared for you to depart. All you have to do is say when you want to go."  
  
He led them up the stairs and into the school. Sitya looked around at the moving pictures and smiled. This place was so wacky it was comforting. "Headmaster… Could you tell me what happened to Ron, Harry and Hermoine?"  
  
"I would be delighted my dear girl! Professor Weasley is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Potter is teaching the Flying Class. And Professor Granger is teaching Potions."  
  
"They're all teaching here?" Sitya asked, surprised.  
  
"Correct. Perhaps you would like to see them?"  
  
"Sure! I mean if it's okay with you?" she directed the last at Obi- Wan.  
  
"Yes, of course." She was definitely still mad at him.  
  
"Right this way my dear."  
  
  
  
Sitya stood outside the room that served as the classroom for Defense Against the Dark Arts. She saw Ron standing in front of a bunch of second year students, from what she could tell. She had smile, she had never thought that Ron would stay and teach a class. He wrote stuff on the black board and the students obediently copied them down. He turned to ask a question and saw her standing in the doorway. She waved and silently laughed when she saw the surprised look on his face.  
  
"Sitya!" he shouted. He jumped down from the raised platform where he was teaching and raced over to her. He gave her a hug before she could stop him.  
  
He set her down and she laughed, "Nice to see you to."  
  
Ron turned back to his class and saw that one of the students had his hand up. "Yes, Mr. Reghur?"  
  
"Professor is that the Sitya Basts that helped you and Professor Potter on your pranks?"  
  
Ron gave a nervous laugh, "Yes it is." He turned back to Sitya and explained. "It seems that the students here are fascinated by all the stuff we pulled, while we were students."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Ron gave her a glance, "Maybe you could answer a few questions that the class has?"  
  
Sitya looked into the room full of students. "I don't think any of the wants to hear anything that I have to say."  
  
Ron turned back to his class, "Anyone have questions?"  
  
The whole class raised their hands as one.  
  
Sitya shrugged and made her way into the room. She stood in front of the black board and answered the student's questions.  
  
"Is it true that you turned another student entirely purple?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The students started to buzz with excitement. How?"  
  
Sitya laughed, "I'm afraid I would be in very serious trouble if I told students how to do that trick."  
  
The bell rang and Ron shouted last minute instructions to the class before they all disappeared.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked.  
  
Sitya pointed to Obi-Wan standing behind her. "He has a mission for me to do."  
  
Ron glanced back and saw Obi-Wan standing there. "Wondered when you'd get back. I didn't think it would be this soon though." He turned back to Sitya, "Want to see Harry and Hermoine?"  
  
"Love to."  
  
  
  
Ron took her and Obi-Wan on a tour of Hogwarts, before showing them where Harry was teaching his class.  
  
"This is the last period before lunch. I don't have a class right now, but Harry and Hermoine do. We'll just wait for the bell to ring and then go see Harry out in the field."  
  
They walked around the grounds and made their way to where the Flying lessons were being conducted. Harry was just finishing off his last class. Her, Ron and Obi-Wan stood and watched as his first years tried to take off on their brooms and if they did, if they could stay on. Harry spotted them and waved the bell ringing and students dashing off to go eat.  
  
Harry ran over to her, "Hi! Didn't know you'd be here."  
  
"Neither did I." Sitya stated.  
  
The group then made their way to the Great Hall where the other Professors were eating and it was there that they found Hermoine.  
  
"Hello." She greeted them. The other four sat down and started to eat together. They talked about what had happened since the last time they had seen each other. Sitya was again annoyed when she found out that when Obi- Wan had first arrived on Earth he had told the three what he had come to do. The lunch hour finished and Sitya was disappointed when the three professors had to return to class and it was time for her and Obi-Wan to leave.  
  
"See you around." Ron waved as he slipped off to his class.  
  
Sitya and Obi-Wan sat at the table awhile longer and watched the stragglers leave.  
  
"I guess it's time to go." Obi-Wan stated.  
  
"If you say so."  
  
  
  
The two had no trouble finding their way down to the Stargate and saw that it was ready and they could leave any time they wanted. Their baggage was already at the base of the ancient device, waiting for them.  
  
Obi-Wan walked over and punched in coordinates on the side device and waited for the Stargate to activate.  
  
Sitya watched and felt the familiar vibrations, sounds and images that had happened three years ago. She picked up luggage when the Stargate was operational and stepped forward. Obi-Wan in front of her.  
  
"I'll try not to puke this time." He stated.  
  
Sitya looked over at him, "Good. You're already low on points as it is."  
  
He cast his eyes downward, "I really am sorry for how I got you to come. But I'm not sorry that I did it."  
  
Sitya nodded. "Alright. Let's get this over with."  
  
"Is that your way of accepting my apology?"  
  
Sitya gave a small laugh, "Yes it is. I couldn't stay mad at you for long. I had forgiven you by the time you had walked into my apartment with the tickets."  
  
"Why did you make me think that you were still mad at me?"  
  
"Have I ever made things easy for you?"  
  
  
  
Sitya fell out of the Stargate and landed on her stomach. "Oh crap. I forgot how fast that thing is." She slowly picked herself up and saw that she was now in a gloomy room. It was like the room back at Hogwarts, but this room wasn't damp. And instead of smelling musty, it smelled dusty.  
  
Obi-Wan helped her up, "This way." He pointed to a doorway on the other side of the room. "We're at the very bottom of the Jedi Temple right now. We have to climb a few stair ways until we can get a lift and get to the top."  
  
Sitya followed behind him. After twenty staircases she started to complain, "I though you said there were only a few staircases."  
  
Obi-Wan looked down at her, "Tired?" he teased.  
  
"No."  
  
"Just two more and then there'll be a lift."  
  
True to his word, there was a lift that they could take to at least the ground level of the Temple. Obi-Wan stepped off the lift and out into the mass of people. Sitya looked around her and saw that they were all dressed as Jedi. She caught a glimpse outside, through a window. "Wow." She muttered.  
  
"Stop looking like a tourist." Obi-Wan said.  
  
"But I am…" Sitya gave him a look. "I'm not having that conversation again. I know where that one goes."  
  
Obi-Wan laughed. "Come on. The Jedi Council wanted me to take you to them when we got here. Follow me."  
  
Obi-Wan took her through passageways and Sitya tried to get a better look at what the rest of the planet looked like. Obi-Wan saw this. "Don't worry. You'll see plenty when you're with the Jedi Council."  
  
Sitya glanced over at him, "Do you think I would be able to see Troi?"  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know. She might be on another planet with other Jedi Healers or something. There's no way of knowing where she is at any given moment."  
  
Sitya was disappointed and she followed Obi-Wan into another lift. It was about their fifth one. "How far up are we?"  
  
"About three kilometers."  
  
"That high?"  
  
Obi-Wan laughed, "Yes. This is the last lift. Next stop is the Jedi Council."  
  
Sitya nodded and waited for the lift to open. She felt that this ride was longer than the others and was impatient to see what this Council was about.  
  
The doors opened and Obi-Wan stepped forward first. Sitya followed and saw Qui-Gon standing in the room before them. Sitya looked around and thought that it was a form of waiting room.  
  
"Ms. Basts. It is nice to see you again." Qui-Gon greeted her.  
  
Sitya gave him a look. "Are you serious? I recall that you were always mad with me."  
  
Qui-Gon laughed, "I am serious. I assume that you've mature since the last time I saw you."  
  
"I wouldn't count on that." Obi-Wan smirked.  
  
A blue alien with two head tails came up to them. Sitya couldn't help but stare at the alien. She felt Obi-Wan nudge her in the ribs.  
  
"Don't stare."  
  
"The Council will see you now." The blue alien told them.  
  
Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed, the blue alien did as well and walked towards the only set of doors. She opened them and the three humans stepped inside.  
  
Sitya quickly glanced around and saw that there were twelve chairs all filled with humans and somethings. All of them were dressed in Jedi robes and stared solemnly at them.  
  
Sitya followed Obi-Wan's and Qui-Gon's lead and stood in front of a small, green alien and Mace Windu. She stood in between the two Jedi and watched as they bowed. She didn't know what to do, so she just stood and glanced out the window. It looked like the window had a 360 view of the planet below them. And Sitya couldn't help but look passed the Jedi and stare at the surroundings. There was thousands of moving objects outside and it looked like the entire planet was covered in buildings. She wanted to get out and explore.  
  
She focused her attention on the Jedi in front of them and waited for them to speak. It was silent for a very long time and she felt Obi-Wan stir restlessly beside her. Finally the little green alien smiled and started to speak.  
  
"Good you are. Patience you have."  
  
Sitya didn't say anything.  
  
The alien smiled again, "Have no questions, do you?"  
  
"I have questions."  
  
"Questions we have as well."  
  
Sitya was silent again and waited for the alien to speak again. She was good at the silent game; she had no urging need to talk. She preferred to study people before her, to see if there was anything underneath what they were asking.  
  
This time Mace Windu spoke, "Ask a question." He invited.  
  
"What's your name?" she directed at the tiny, green alien.  
  
The green alien smiled, "Master Yoda I am. Know already who Master Mace Windu is."  
  
Sitya nodded.  
  
"How feel you?"  
  
"Tired."  
  
The green alien slowly nodded.  
  
This time an alien with an incredibly large sloping forehead spoke. "You do not have your mind open to us."  
  
Obi-Wan looked over at Sitya and realized it was true. He wondered how she could do that with no formal training.  
  
"Why should I?" she herself didn't understand how she could have her mind closed. From what Obi-Wan had told her, it was almost like Jedi could read minds.  
  
"Do you have something to hide?" the alien asked.  
  
"No!" she said quickly. She realized it was too fast and saw the Jedi in front of her smile. Then she felt a little tickling in the back of her mind. She frowned and searched the Jedi's faces. Her gaze fell on Yoda. "Piss off squirt!"  
  
The other Jedi collectively took in a gasp, including Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.  
  
Yoda gave her another look and nodded, "Strong in the Force you are. Pity you did not train."  
  
"I like the job I have now. Thank you very much." Sitya started to become angry.  
  
She watched as the alien's ears rose up straighter. "Quick to angry you are."  
  
The other Jedi nodded and she saw Obi-Wan allowing himself a small smile. "I'd wipe that smile off right now or you're going to get dealt something you wouldn't want." Obi-Wan's smile only got bigger and Sitya couldn't help but laugh.  
  
The Jedi's eyebrow's rose while she giggled and she was glad she wasn't the only person laughing. Obi-Wan was holding his side trying to calm down and Master Qui-Gon had a large smile on his face.  
  
Yoda and Mace gave a small smile, then the green alien became serious again. "Danger you are in Guardian."  
  
Sitya stopped laughing and looked at him. "So I've heard."  
  
"Suggest you carry your lightsaber I do."  
  
Sitya nodded again; she did have her lightsaber with her. Tucked in the back of her pants and covered by her shirt. "I have it with me."  
  
"You agree to help us?"  
  
Sitya gave a sidelong look at Obi-Wan and then answered, "After a fashion, yes."  
  
The Jedi didn't miss her look and decided they would find out about it later. "Again the killer has attacked. Small Bothan this time." Yoda stared hard at her , "Left another note he did."  
  
Sitya nodded, "Show me."  
  
  
  
The Jedi Masters Yoda, Mace and Qui-Gon led her back down the lift and into a room that was full of what looked to be medical equipment, some if it looked like Earth's form and others Sitya could only guess at what they were for.  
  
Obi-Wan had been left behind, since he had other errands to attend to. None of which Sitya knew about. But he said that he would see her again.  
  
The Jedi handed her a blue suit that would fit over her clothing and she put it on, the Jedi did the same and they led her into a different room that smelt sterile. Mace then handed her a pair of latex gloves and Sitya put them on. The three Jedi did the same.  
  
"What is the victims name?"  
  
"Jogerfuy LeRuyt it is."  
  
"How long has it been since you found her?"  
  
"One hour."  
  
Sitya spotted a lone table in the middle of the room; it had a form on it and was covered by a white sheet. Sitya moved forward, in front of the Jedi and began to ask questions. "Does the victim still have its clothes on?"  
  
Mace Windu nodded. "We did not touch anything that was on her."  
  
"What about the crime scene? Is it sealed off? Were pictures taken?"  
  
"The place where she was found was behind an apartment block. It's not sealed off anymore, but pictures were taken."  
  
Sitya nodded absently, "I'd like to go there anyway, see what it looks like. And I would like to see the photos as well."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Was there someone who was working on these cases before? Doing the autopsy?"  
  
"Dead he is. Killed same as victims." Yoda said solemnly.  
  
"Oh." Sitya looked back down at the white sheet. "I'm going to look at her now." She lifted off the cover and saw a furry alien underneath. It was small and it indeed looked like a young form of a species. Sitya couldn't tell for sure, because she had never seen the species before. She started to walk around the table, analyzing everything that she saw. "Has there been any pictures taken of the body?"  
  
"At the crime scene, but not here."  
  
"I need a camera." She heard footsteps retreat and continued her walk. She took in the clothes. "She was a Jedi?"  
  
Mace answered her. "Not a Jedi. Not even one of the Padawans. She was just turning the age when Masters would look at her and see if they wanted her as an apprentice."  
  
Qui-Gon came back and handed her a camera. Sitya took it and looked at the different keys and buttons it had on it. She handed it back to him. "How 'bout you take pictures and I'll do the shifting."  
  
"Shifting?"  
  
"Poking around for anything that sticks out."  
  
She instructed Qui-Gon to take pictures of the body first, before she did anything and then stepped forward again. "Take pictures whenever I move something. Everything and anything I do."  
  
"That's going to take a long time."  
  
"It usually does."  
  
Sitya started her shifting, combing over all the Bothan's clothes with a magnifying glass she had brought with her. She was surprised when she saw that the clothes were clean. "There's nothing on her. How the hell could there be nothing on her?"  
  
The Jedi just watched and Qui-Gon took pictures. Sitya again went through the clothes to make sure she didn't miss anything. She instructed Mace and Qui-Gon to help her remove the outer robe and placed it in a bag.  
  
Once removed, she could see the back of the shirt was covered with blood and there was a square flap cut. "You do have labs here that can test for chemicals and blood, right?"  
  
"At Coruscant's main Security office." Mace answered.  
  
"Everything's going to have to go. I don't know what type of chemicals that are rare on this planet, but test for everything. Look for blood too. Could get lucky and there might be some of the killers."  
  
Mace nodded and got a datapad to write her instructions down.  
  
Sitya moved back to the body again. She was wearing a see through white material. Both shirts and pants. "Do all Jedi have this on underneath?"  
  
"Those they do not."  
  
"Do Jedi wear anything underneath their clothes?"  
  
Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes. But all our clothes are made out of the same type of material. Not that kind." He pointed down to the still Bothan.  
  
Sitya glanced up and studied the Jedi's robes. They looked like a type of wool or cotton. "Everything is the same material? Even undergarments?"  
  
The three Jedi nodded.  
  
Sitya returned back to her work and looked closer at the undergarments the Bothan was wearing. It looked almost like silk. Sitya reached forward and took off a glove and gently rubbed it. "Smooth." She glanced up at Mace. "Are you writing down everything I say?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Good. Keep doing it."  
  
Sitya put on a fresh glove and leaned in closer to the body. "Has all the victims come in with the same type of material on? Were the pants and shirts made to fit the species or are all of them the same style?"  
  
"They were made to match the victim. Down to the right size too." Qui- Gon offered.  
  
Sitya reached for her magnifying glass again and began to search for clothes again, with the same result, it was clean. But because the material was see through, she could see wounds clearly. All over the body. Up close she could also detect a sweet sort of scent. She sniffed again and hoped it wasn't some type of poison that she didn't know about. "Can you smell that?"  
  
The two human Jedi walked up and smelled the clothing.  
  
"It smells sweet. I can hardly smell it."  
  
Sitya nodded, "Some type of perfume?"  
  
"I wouldn't know." Qui-Gon smiled.  
  
Sitya laughed a little. "You're right. And neither would I." She looked at the bag that held the outer clothing. She walked over and opened it. Smelling what was inside. The outside clothing had the same odor. How could she have missed that? "The outer clothes smell the same too."  
  
She gestured Qui-Gon to take pictures. Of the whole body and in sections. Then she asked for help to remove the clothing and again instructed for it to be tested. Again the back shirt was covered with blood and a square flap in the back.  
  
The three Jedi averted their eyes when they saw the wounds on the Bothan's body. It was covered in scratches, holes and punctured wounds. The weird part was that it looked like the body had been scrubbed clean. She told Mace to make a note of that. "Has anyone told the family about this?"  
  
Qui-Gon shook his head. "Contact to one's family while training to become a Jedi is strictly reinforced. No contact allowed and no information given."  
  
Sitya was angry, "So there's some family out there who doesn't know what happened to their child?"  
  
Yoda nodded, "Right that is."  
  
Sitya angrily motioned Qui-Gon to take pictures.  
  
When he was again finished she started to go over all the wounds with her magnifying glass. She looked at every single on of them and was horrified. "She was alive when he did all this."  
  
The Jedi shook their heads.  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"When someone is injured blood moves to the site to begin fixing the damage. In humans, white blood cells move and make proteins to fix the damage. I don't know what a Bothan has, but it's clearly visible that a lot of blood has moved to her wounds and tried to fix the damage." She paused. "When was she first reported missing?"  
  
"Days three."  
  
Sitya looked at the Jedi, "You do realize that this poor Bothan could have been tortured during this time? Is it the same with the other victims?"  
  
The three Jedi shrugged.  
  
"You don't know? I thought this galaxy was supposed to be far advanced in technology."  
  
"There are things that you have on your planet, which we do not here." Qui-Gon stated. "That is why we have brought you here. New techniques to see if they would help us."  
  
Sitya nodded and went back to the body. Trying to find the fatal wound. It didn't help that the Bothan was covered in fur. Sitya slowly worked from the feet to the head and still could find anything on the body that would signify death. "Let's flip her over."  
  
They did and Sitya immediately saw what would have killed the Bothan. On it's back was a square cut that had tried to be covered over. It was where a human heart would have been and Sitya asked the Jedi if that was where a Bothan heart would be located. They said yes.  
  
Sitya first had Qui-Gon take pictures and Sitya searched the rest of the body's back for wounds. There wasn't any. Sitya went to get an instrument from the side bench and peered at the cut. It wasn't sewn shut and the flap easily opened. Inside Sitya could see the spinal cord and beyond that there was a large empty space that should have contained a heart. "Now I know how she died." Sitya mumbled.  
  
Qui-Gon looked slightly uneasy.  
  
"Here let me take the pictures." She took the camera and Qui-Gon instructed her how to work. She took pictures of everything. When satisfied she put down the camera and glanced again at the Jedi. "She could have been alive when the killer started this. She could have survived the opening of her back and when the killer started to mess around inside her. At least a human could. But she also could have lost consciousness when he started to do this."  
  
The Jedi nodded their understanding.  
  
Sitya glanced down again and gave the hole another once over. Behind the spinal cord, tucked away out of sight was a glint of something. Sitya reached for tweezers and removed the thing. It was a small plastic bag and looked like there was something inside it. Paper maybe?  
  
She handed it to Mace and told him that tests should be done on it, just like the clothes.  
  
She went back to the body and started down at it. She felt she was missing something. On a hunch she reached for a jaw opener and opened her mouth, inside was what looked to be a coin. She put it in an evidence bag and sealed it. "Did the other victims have the same thing in their mouths?"  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, "That is how we know it is the same killer. No information has been leaked about that."  
  
"Anything else that's the same?"  
  
"They're all horribly cut up."  
  
"The clothing is clean of blood. On the front, where her nonfatal wounds are located. I assume the killer washed her while she was alive and then made her change into the clothes. It doesn't look like they were put on after she died. When she put on the clothes she was then killed in the back with her clothes on."  
  
Sitya again looked down at the body, "I'm afraid that I can't do much else. I can't do an internal exam since I don't know the species. You'll have to get an expert to do that."  
  
Again the Jedi nodded. "Arranged it will be."  
  
"I'd like to be here when the exam is being conducted."  
  
The Jedi nodded again.  
  
"There are test here to check for semen, right?" She waited for confirmation, "I would like tests done for that too. As well as the cut marks on the body. See what kind or kinds of tools the killer is using."  
  
  
  
Qui-Gon and Mace walked in the Jedi Temple; they had showered and changed after Sitya had finished with the young Bothan.  
  
Mace looked at his friend. "You're sure it's a good idea for Obi-Wan to stay with Sitya without your supervision?"  
  
Qui-Gon nodded his head, "He's a grown man now. I can't tell him what he can and can not do concerning issues like that."  
  
"It would be interesting to see what would happen." Mace said.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded his head and smiled, "Indeed it would.  
  
  
  
Sitya was showed to a room where she could shower and change. She walked out of the change room, in fresh clothes and saw Obi-Wan waiting for her. "I have our room prepared."  
  
"Our room?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. "Remember about the whole killer thing, wanting you to come? This is the promised twenty-four hour Jedi watch service."  
  
"Don't tell me I'm stuck with you."  
  
Obi-Wan smiled broadly, "Most of the time. We're going to be like room mates."  
  
Sitya groaned. "Please let me back in the morgue!" she teased.  
  
"I'm not that bad. There's going to be other Jedi too. We're taking shifts and such. But most of the time it's going to be me."  
  
"Am I going to have to spend all my time in my room and just the morgue? Or do I get to go out and have some fun?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked concerned, "I don't think that's a very good idea."  
  
"Obi-Wan. I'm not going to hid from this thing. I want to help, but I also want to live a little. And don't say that I would live longer if I stayed in my room."  
  
Obi-Wan shut his mouth. That was exactly what he was going to say. "What do you want to do then?"  
  
"There is a thing called food… and I haven't had any since I got here." She looked at her watch. "And that was about ten hours ago."  
  
"I get the hint. I'll show you where we're staying and I'll get the other Jedi that's supposed to be with us."  
  
Obi-Wan led her through passageways and up lifts. He finally got to their quarters showed Sitya in. He pointed out the bathroom, the kitchen and her bedroom. There were also two other bedrooms and Obi-Wan said that was where he and the other Jedi would be staying.  
  
Sitya walked around the quarters and went into her room. Her suitcase was sitting on her bed and she placed her medical bag on the floor, next to the door. She moved to her to the bed again and opened the suitcase. She was placing clothes in drawers and in the closet when she heard someone move behind her.  
  
Sitya turned around and saw an alien that could only be described as a very large fish.  
  
"Hello." The alien's voice was gravelly and sounded as if it were gurgling water at the back of it's throat.  
  
"Hello." Sitya said slowly. She realized she was staring and quickly looked away.  
  
The alien gave a low chuckle. "You have never seen a being like me before?"  
  
Sitya looked over and said sheepishly. "No."  
  
The alien entered her room and stood in front of her. "I am a Mon Calamari. And I am called Bant." The alien bowed.  
  
Sitya bowed as well, "I'm Sitya. Nice to meet you."  
  
The alien nodded. "I will be the other Jedi that will be spending the majority of the time with you. Along with Obi-Wan. I understand that you are hungry?"  
  
Sitya nodded, "Very."  
  
The alien nodded again, "I know a great place that has good food. It's just outside the Temple." The alien stepped outside of the room and made it's way down the hallway to the small living room. They found Obi-Wan waiting in the living room.  
  
"Good. You've met Bant. I've contacted Master Qui-Gon about us going out to supper and he says it's all right. Should we go?"  
  
Sitya followed the two Jedi and had to remind herself to keep walking and not stare at everything that walked past her.  
  
Bant tried to get her into a conversation, but Sitya continued to be distracted from the sights that were surrounding her.  
  
"I've known Obi-Wan since we first arrived here."  
  
Sitya turned her attention to the Mon Calamari. "You knew him when he was little?"  
  
Bant nodded, "We were friends."  
  
Obi-Wan turned to see what they were talking about. "Don't tell her anything Bant."  
  
Sitya urged Bant on. "Come on. At least tell me something. He's learned a whole bunch of stuff that I've done. Tell me something." She pleaded.  
  
"We are at the restaurant." She pointed to a crowded store. "Let us go in and I will tell you a story."  
  
Sitya eagerly agreed and practically pushed the Jedi into the restaurant.  
  
The three were immediately showed to a table and Sitya wanted to hear what Bant would tell her.  
  
"I thought you were hungry." Obi-Wan said.  
  
"I want to hear a story!"  
  
Bant told her to order her food first. Sitya looked at the menu. She had no idea what the stuff on the thing meant. What was a 'dewback'?  
  
She set down her menu and said that she would have whatever Obi-Wan was having. A droid waiter came and took their orders.  
  
"It will be ready in 17 minutes." The droid lumbered off to another table.  
  
Sitya leaned forward. "I want to hear a story."  
  
Obi-Wan groaned, "You don't have to hear a story. You've got enough from the time I've already spent with you."  
  
"I don't care. There's nothing else to talk about."  
  
Bant smiled as she watched her friend and Sitya talk to each other. She waited until they were finished and started her story. "There was this one time when Obi-Wan fell asleep in astrophysics class…"  
  
  
  
Sitya nearly choked on her drink when Bant finished her story. "You're kidding!"  
  
Bant just nodded and looked over at Obi-Wan. She felt that he was trying to be upset with all the stories being told, but he was also having a good time.  
  
Sitya leaned over to Obi-Wan. "Maybe you could help me with my makeup some time. You seem to know more about the stuff than I do." Sitya started to giggle.  
  
"There was only the one time. And I wasn't the only one who put the stuff on. It was Bant and Hugh. I had no part in it."  
  
"But you walked around with make up on your face for a whole day. You can't tell me you didn't notice."  
  
"I was very busy and didn't have time to see what was on my face."  
  
Sitya continued to laugh and finished her drink. "What is this?"  
  
"Do you like it?"  
  
Sitya nodded, "It tastes fruity."  
  
"It is a fruit. From Alderaan I believe." He looked to Bant for confirmation. "It's called Jyrkg, a purple fruit. I think we have some back at the apartment."  
  
Sitya nodded. Obi-Wan watched as she chewed on her ankh necklace. A quirky habit for Sitya and he found himself enjoying watching her do it.  
  
The three had finished their food and had just ordered drinks. Sitya was having fun, but she was also feeling tired. She glanced over and saw that the same two humans were sitting at the same table since they had first come to the restaurant.  
  
"Do you know those people?"  
  
Obi-Wan glanced over, "Yes. We thought you wouldn't notice." He lean forwards to her and whispered so others in the restaurant wouldn't hear. "They're Jedi. Just a sort of backup in case something happened."  
  
Sitya glanced over at the Jedi again and saw that they had noticed that she knew they were watching her. If she could notice them, then other people could notice too. She was suddenly overcome with a yawn.  
  
Bant saw and suggested that they return to the apartment.  
  
  
  
Sitya finished changing into her regular sweats and cotton T-shirt for bed and walked towards the bathroom to brush her teeth. She noticed that Bant's room was closed and Obi-Wan's was wide open. She quietly slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. She brushed her teeth and walked back out.  
  
She decided to see what the rest of the house was like before sleeping. An old habit that she had developed since living alone. Sitya peered into the living and saw Obi-Wan sitting cross-legged in the middle with his eyes closed. She turned to go, not wanting to disturb him, but Obi- Wan felt her presence any way.  
  
"What can I do for you?"  
  
Sitya stepped back into the room and walked towards him, "I was just checking out the place before I went to sleep. What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Meditating."  
  
Sitya looked down at him and saw his lightsaber lying on his lap. She stared at it thinking hard.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Sitya looked again at his face "Nothing. You're not going to be staying up all night are you?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged, "I might. There should be someone up in case something happens."  
  
"Kenobi. We're in the Jedi Temple, full of Jedi. Do you really think that something could happen?"  
  
"It could."  
  
Sitya was silent again and looked at the lightsaber, chewing on her necklace. "When you get cut by a lightsaber… it cauterizes the wound right?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, "Why?"  
  
"Just wondering." Sitya turned back to her bedroom, but stopped before she left the living room. "Was there anything involving the cases brought here while we were out?"  
  
Obi-Wan pointed to the kitchen. "Everything is in the kitchen. Well, everything that has been assembled for you this far."  
  
Sitya nodded her thanks and walked to the kitchen. Obi-Wan got up and followed her. "You're not going to start work now, are you?"  
  
Sitya shook her head, "I just want to look." She lifted up the first datapad, but Obi-Wan stopped her.  
  
"You're not doing anything until you have at least six hours sleep." he pointed in the direction of her room. "Go to bed."  
  
"Yes mother." She grinned and made her way back to her room. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be sleeping. The Bothan she had just examined did not have any lightsaber wounds.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan groggily got up and looked at his chrono. It was eight o'clock. He got up from his bed and made sure he was partially presentable before he opened his door. He looked in the mirror and saw his hair sticking up all over the place. He tried flattening it, but it kept springing back up. He decided he wasn't winning the battle and left his room. He walked in the open area and saw Sitya curled up on a couch reading a datapad. All sorts of other datapads were littered around her, along with pictures and a notepad, which he saw was full of scribbles.  
  
"How long have you been up?"  
  
Sitya didn't look up from her reading, "Whenever you went to bed."  
  
"That was one in the morning!"  
  
Sitya looked up. "Was it that early?"  
  
"I told you to get some sleep."  
  
Sitya shrugged, "I did." She paused. "For about two hours." She glanced at the kitchen. "I would offer you some café, but Bant left and she took her secret of how to make it." She slowly got up from the couch and stretched, wincing slightly when she heard bones cracking.  
  
"You've seriously been up that whole time?"  
  
"Yep. I wanted to read about the other cases as well. See if there was anything I could add to them. Anything that was missed."  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
Sitya shook her head.  
  
Obi-Wan went into the kitchen and started to make some more café. Sitya came with him, because she wanted to see how it was made. Instead of showing her, Obi-Wan thought it best if she do it, while he stood by and gave instructions. It took awhile for the drink to be brewing and there was a knock on the door.  
  
Obi-Wan went to answer it and allowed Mace and Qui-Gon inside.  
  
"I trust you slept well." Mace said.  
  
Obi-Wan gave Sitya a hard look, who just answered with a perky "Yep."  
  
Qui-Gon reached in his robe and pulled out an envelope. "This was sent from Eric to you. It's a credit account for you to use on what you deem is necessary."  
  
Sitya took the envelope and unwrapped it; a silver disk was inside. "How do I use it?"  
  
"Just go to any terminal that's set up on the streets. Almost all of them have cash dispensers, which will give you your money. Obi-Wan will show you."  
  
"How much is on it?"  
  
"Eric said five million."  
  
Obi-Wan's mouth dropped open, "Five million!"  
  
Sitya nodded and put it in her pocket, "I think it might be a good idea just to get some credits to have on hand. Just in case. I made café. Do you want some?"  
  
The Masters nodded and Sitya went into the kitchen, while they went into the living room.  
  
Mace raised his eyes when he saw all the datapads lying around the place. "Someone's been busy."  
  
Obi-Wan snorted, "She's been at it since one in the morning."  
  
"Why didn't you get her to bed?"  
  
"I thought she was."  
  
Sitya came in and handed out cups of café and sat down. "Anything new that I should know about?"  
  
Qui-Gon answered for her, "The autopsy on the young Jedi Bothan was done while you were out for supper. I know you wanted to be there for that, but it was the only time the examiner could come down and do it."  
  
Sitya slowly nodded, "Was there anything found?"  
  
"Nothing that was abnormal. Besides the fact that her back was sliced open and her heart removed. Everything else was in the normal range for a Bothan of that age. No evidence of sexual assault."  
  
Mace also spoke, "There's going to be a meeting over at the Coruscant's Security Center this afternoon. You could stop and get your credits now, see how the machine works and then you could go over to the Center and look at the clothing and package that you sent in."  
  
Sitya got up, "Let's go."  
  
  
  
Instead of walking, the Jedi decided it would be best if they took an airbus over to the Security Center. Sitya stepped off and glanced around here. There were at least twenty different beings that were walking around her and she still couldn't help but stare at them. 'Wonder how Troi manages not to stare at everything?'  
  
Sitya followed the Jedi and they showed her what the terminals looked like and how to get her credits out. She took out a hundred and put it in her jacket pocket. She then played on it for awhile; the three Jedi pointing out things that they thought might be useful.  
  
When she was finished, the Jedi took her for a walk, and pointed out sights that might interest her, but by 10:30 she was getting bored and asked if they could go to the Security Center.  
  
Walking in the building Sitya was presented with a pass that would allow her full access to the building. There was a guide who took them to where the labs were located and pointed out a large furry creature sitting at a rather large desk. Obi-Wan told her it was a Wookiee.  
  
The large creature got up when he heard them approaching. Sitya saw that it was indeed very large and it towered over her by at least a whole meter. It growled something and Sitya looked at Obi-Wan.  
  
"He said hello."  
  
"Oh. Hello."  
  
The Wookiee grunted and turned back to it's work area and pulled out a file. He gestured for Sitya to come over.  
  
She slowly came over and sat down on the chair the Wookiee offered. The other Jedi sat down as well.  
  
The Wookiee started to grunt and growl at Sitya.  
  
"I'm sorry. I don't understand you."  
  
The Wookiee grunted again.  
  
"He said that it's not a problem. A lot of species don't."  
  
"How do you know what he's saying?"  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, "It was like a second language course for me at the Jedi Temple. He wants to know if you have any questions."  
  
"Just what was found on the stuff I sent in."  
  
Through Obi-Wan, Sitya learned that the shirt and pants of the Bothan were the same material as the other victims. Unfortunately the material could be found anywhere and companies made a wide range of clothing from the material. There wasn't anything rare about the clothing.  
  
The Wookiee then got up and pulled out a large clear plastic bag.  
  
"That's what was found in the body and what you pulled out." Obi-Wan explained.  
  
The Wookiee handed it to her and Sitya took a quick at it and sat stunned. "This was what I found?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
Obi-Wan looked himself. It was a picture of Sitya, Lara and Riggs sitting in the yard of a very large mansion. All three looked to be laughing about something. "Wonder how he got that."  
  
Qui-Gon looked as well, he saw the same thing. "When do you think this picture was taken?" he asked Sitya.  
  
"It would have to have been three years ago." Sitya paused and studied the photograph again. And nodded her head, "It has to be, that was the last time that all three of us were together. After everyone left to go their separate ways, Lara invited me and Riggs to stay with her. Both of us were there for about a week and a half." She glanced up, "He's been watching me for a very long time then."  
  
Mace studied the photograph as well, "You're sure it was taken three years ago?"  
  
Sitya nodded her head with certainty.  
  
Qui-Gon gave a grave nod, "We will have to assume that the killer has been watching you for three years. Or there is someone else on Earth who has been taking pictures and handing them over to the killer here."  
  
Sitya felt sick. "So I've been followed for the past three years?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked over at her.  
  
Sitya felt disgusted with herself, she hadn't even noticed.  
  
"Maybe it was just a chance encounter. There haven't been any other pictures like this."  
  
Sitya slowly nodded, she didn't believe it though. "What about the rest. Like the notes the killer wrote."  
  
The Wookiee got up again and this time lifted up a box. He set it down in front of Sitya.  
  
"He says those are all of the originals." Obi-Wan watched as she shuffled through the plastic bags, occasionally she would stop and look closer at a document.  
  
The other two Jedi and the Wookiee watched her.  
  
Sitya found a note that caught her eye. It was descriptive of the Bothan she had examined, "Can I just sit and read this one?" she asked the Wookiee.  
  
The Wookiee grunted an affirmative and Sitya studied the letter. It told about the kind of wounds that would be found on the Bothan and how the young alien had screamed while he cut her. The killer kept referring himself in third person, there was no 'I' in the letter, just 'Razor.' "When was this letter found?"  
  
"It was on the body. In a black hard envelope." Qui-Gon answered.  
  
"Did all the bodies have the same type of envelope and the paper that was used to write the letter?"  
  
Obi-Wan supplied the answer from the Wookiee. "All letters found on the bodies that had them are of the same. He says even the writing has been analyzed and is the same."  
  
Sitya stopped reading for awhile and looked up, "What about the cut marks on the body?" "He says that that's not his field, but there are reports in there that explains that they are the same. He uses all different kinds on the victims, diversity in all the victims, but all of them have the same type of cutting tools on them."  
  
"He uses several knifes and sharp edges on each of the victims?"  
  
The Wookiee gave an affirmative grunt.  
  
Sitya turned back to the letter that was before her and continued to read. Near the end of the letter it started to talk of her. She analyzed it critically and tried to keep a shudder under control. It named her by her own name, what her profession was and it practically mocked her that she wouldn't be able to help in the investigation. At the very end Razor wrote about how glad he would be to meet her and what would happen to her when he did.  
  
Sitya looked up and gave a wry smile, "Wouldn't exactly say that this person is a fan."  
  
Obi-Wan looked at the letter she had been reading and became angry with himself, she shouldn't have been allowed to read it.  
  
s Sitya saw his expression and gave him a small shake of her head. It was her job to try and help and sometimes there were things that she looked at that would be considered threatening or just plain sick.  
  
Mace got up and said that it was nearly noon and they should make their way to the conference room where the meeting of the investigators was to take place.  
  
Sitya got up and handed the letter back to the Wookiee and thanked him for his help. The Wookiee gave her a grunt and smiled at her. At least she hoped it was a smile, the alien had a very large set of nasty looking teeth.  
  
  
  
Sitya again followed the Jedi through passageways and was brought to a room, where about ten people were already waiting. One of the people, who was wearing a uniform greeted them and then closed the door. He said that they were the last and the meeting could begin now.  
  
The other people went to sit down at the oversized table; Sitya and the Jedi sat down as well.  
  
A man about the same age as Qui-Gon stood up and started to speak. "Let's get started." He waited for everyone to be quiet, "As you've all heard the last victim was a young Bothan female, a Jedi." He glanced at Sitya, "Have you read the reports on the other victims?"  
  
"Yes I have."  
  
The man nodded, pleased with her, "We'll just go over everything anyway, talking about it may help make things clearer for you."  
  
Sitya nodded, agreeing.  
  
"Let's start with the victims."  
  
An incredibly handsome man started speaking, he looked directly at Sitya while he spoke, "As far as we know, the killer has killed about fifty beings, fifty-one to be exact. They are a wide range of species, human, Bothan, Mon Calamari, Aqualish. There's no preferred species that the killer picks. They are also of various ages, young, old and in the middle."  
  
Sitya had a sense that this man was to say the least full of himself and he got what he wanted. "What about sexual assault?" Sitya asked. "I didn't see anything in the reports." Sitya was kind of testy that it hasn't been included in the reports, back home it was always examined and reported on.  
  
The handsome man continued to look at her, "Only the human females have been found to exhibit trauma in that area." Sitya was surprised that the man wasn't uncomfortable speaking about his, especially since he looked young. 'Then again he looks about the same as me.'  
  
"Was it full penetration. And was there any semen recovered for DNA?"  
  
The man shrugged, "The autopsy did show penetration on the human females, but no semen was found."  
  
Sitya nodded, "The Bothan did show signs of being wiped or scrubbed clean, as the others from the reports I have read. Enough to wipe away all semen. Or there was no penis involved, maybe the killer used a blunt object."  
  
Everyone in the room stared at her.  
  
"What? We can't automatically assume it was a penis. There was no semen. I'm just trying to give us a broader view. Not to stick to something that might be wrong."  
  
The handsome man stared at her, "What makes you think it was a blunt object?"  
  
"I don't think it was a blunt object. I'm just bringing up another point of view." She looked around the table. "I have had cases before where there is a blunt used, instead of a penis. It's not like it's never happened before."  
  
The handsome man nodded again, still looking at her.  
  
Qui-Gon saw that the man was spending a considerable amount of time looking at Sitya. He also noticed that it didn't seem to bother her, but he saw that it was bothering Obi-Wan. He would have to speak to him about that later.  
  
The man who spoke first started again, "Let's go over the profile."  
  
A Mon Calamari spoke, "All victims show frontal assault, suggesting that the killer has no problem's of hurting his victims face to face. But different ways in which they were killed. Shot in the head, lightsaber through the chest," he glanced over at Sitya, "Removal of the heart. The only thing that ties all these crimes together is the 10 credit piece he leaves behind."  
  
"What's the significance of the ten piece?"  
  
"Maybe he's really sick and wants to pay the victims for their services?"  
  
Sitya spoke again, "You're assuming that it's a male because of the assaults on the human females? Remember what I said about the blunt object."  
  
The alien nodded, "I remember. Which brings up another point. Because of the assaults on the female humans I am led to believe that it is a human male."  
  
A Bothan snorted, "That really helps narrow our choices."  
  
The Mon Calamari looked angry, "At least it does. Instead of the all the species in the galaxy, we've narrowed it down to one."  
  
The handsome man started to speak again, "There's also the fact that there have been killings on different planets. Suggesting a form of transportation."  
  
Sitya chewed her necklace, thinking, "How much does it cost to travel to another planet?" Sitya asked.  
  
He looked at her as if she should know this, she wondered if those present knew where she was from. "It can get expensive if the killer travels by a public form, especially to all the worlds he's traveled to. But if he has his own ship, it wouldn't be that expensive."  
  
The Mon Calamari spoke again, "Suggesting vast amounts of money or his own ship."  
  
"Or both." Sitya added. "What about the name he gives himself? Razor."  
  
"From all the knifes and sharp edges he uses." The handsome man said.  
  
"You're sure about that?"  
  
The man nodded.  
  
"What about the smell that was on the Bothan's clothes? Was there anything on the others?"  
  
The group, all but the Jedi, looked surprised.  
  
The handsome man looked confused and Sitya felt satisfied that she had brought something up that he hadn't noticed. "I haven't heard anything about a smell."  
  
Sitya explained, "On the outer and inner garments, there was a sort of perfume smell to them. I'd like to see clothing from the other victims. See if they have the same odor."  
  
The older man nodded, "That will be arranged. It wasn't found before. We'll look into that right away. Anything else that should be brought up?"  
  
The group gathered shook their heads and the man dismissed them. He then walked over to where Sitya and the Jedi were standing, he introduced himself to her. "Captain Furt."  
  
"Dr. Basts." Sitya still wasn't used to using her doctor title, but she didn't know this man and he was the one who had given her his title. May as well make it equal.  
  
Captain Furt gave a nod to the Jedi. Sitya assumed they already knew each other.  
  
"That was some pretty good work finding that smell."  
  
Sitya shrugged, "I was trained to look or smell for that type of thing."  
  
The Captain continued to study her, "You're a little young aren't you?"  
  
Sitya could feel her angry rising, she hated it when people brought up her age. She glanced at the Captain's round belly hanging over his pant uniform. "A little overweight aren't you?"  
  
The Captain glanced down at his massive belly and then shot her a look, "Got a mouth don't you?" he said. His face turning red and angry.  
  
Sitya shrugged and picked up her paper notes from the table, she didn't like the datapad things. "Only around people I don't like."  
  
The Captain gave a huff.  
  
Sitya looked at him again, "I would like to see the clothes the other victims were wearing."  
  
The Captain gave her a dismissive wave. "They're in the storage room 4-98. Someone will help you find them." He walked off out of the room.  
  
Sitya looked behind her, at the Jedi. "Touché."  
  
Another voice spoke behind her, "Don't mind him. He has a real power problem around people. Likes to know people think he's boss."  
  
Sitya turned around and found the handsome man standing in front of her. He had dark brown eyes and his hair was a thick brown as well. His clothing wasn't a uniform, they were a loose fitting tan colored material, but they couldn't hide the muscle that was underneath them.  
  
Sitya felt him studying her as well. Her high ponytail, blue jeans and her favorite styled shirt. She didn't care what he thought, but she did feel a little uncomfortable that he looked nice, and she just looked normal.  
  
"Lieutenant Kugyter." He offered her his hand.  
  
"Dr. Basts." This time she definitely felt she should use her title.  
  
"Heard you wanted to look at the other victims clothing?" Sitya nodded. "I can show you where they are. I'm interested myself in what they smell like."  
  
Sitya nodded and turned to the Jedi, "I'd like to go do that now. Is that alright?"  
  
Mace gave her a nod, "It's your field." He glanced at this chrono, "We have to get back to the Temple. The Council wanted us to fill them in on anything that happened."  
  
Sitya nodded, "Where do I meet you?"  
  
"I can take you back." Kugyter offered.  
  
Obi-Wan felt a rising hostility in him, "Masters, there was an agreement that Sitya would have a Jedi around her at all times."  
  
Qui-Gon looked down at his apprentice. He wasn't acting like his normal self. Another thing he would have to talk to him about. "Very well. Obi-Wan you stay as well. Have your comlink open at all times and report anything that happens."  
  
Obi-Wan gave a nod as he stared at the Lieutenant. And the Lieutenant stared back.  
  
Sitya was oblivious and said that she would like to get started.  
  
  
  
Kugyter led her and Obi-Wan through doors and security checks and finally brought them to a door that had the label 4-98 above it.  
  
"Everything that has already been processed is in there. Clothes, notes, garbage. This case is so big it has it's own storage room." He punched in a code and the door slid open.  
  
Sitya stepped inside. Like labs and storage rooms at home, it smelt like a sterile environment. "How long has this room been used for this case?"  
  
"When the case moved from Coruscant to Corellia. It was the first planet that the killer moved to. Victim number twenty."  
  
Sitya walked along the rows of evidence. Boxes where sorted by number, starting from one and working its way up to fifty. The Bothan's clothes had not yet been placed in the room. Sitya randomly stopped at number 19 and reached for its box, she pulled out a plastic bag that had the outer garments and then pulled out the bag that had the inner ones. Sitya opened the bags up slowly, first one and then the other. The smell was faint, but it was still there. The same smell as the one she had found on the Bothan.  
  
Sitya handed the bag to Obi-Wan first, he smelt it.  
  
"Do you know what it is?" she asked.  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head, "I haven't smelt anything like that as a perfume before. I don't think it is a perfume either."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It just doesn't smell like something a person would wear as a perfume."  
  
Sitya nodded and then went to number 20. The victim that had come from a different planet. She looked at Kugyter, "You don't have any problems with jurisdiction?"  
  
The Lieutenant shook his head, "The killings started here. Coruscant is also the center for investigations. We're allowed to gather evidence from other planets if it is related to the cases we're working on. We're like the big mother."  
  
Sitya opened the bag that contained the clothes and smelled it. It was the same smell as the others. "It smells the same."  
  
Obi-Wan and the Lieutenant took turns smelling it.  
  
Obi-Wan was confused, "What does that mean."  
  
"Maybe the killer uses the same type of soap to clean the bodies. Having large amounts of it and easy access."  
  
"Some type of cleaner?" Kugyter asked.  
  
Sitya shrugged, "Maybe. What about the other victims? Ones from other planets?"  
  
Kugyter went down a list and told her the numbers that had happened on other planets. All of them had the same type of smell on their clothes.  
  
"What about a pattern? Is there a certain number of victims he kills on one planet and then move on to another?"  
  
Kugyter shook his head, "All random. Sometimes he would kill one and the next time he went to the same planet he would kill ten."  
  
Sitya looked at Obi-Wan. "What about Jedi? Is there a pattern followed there?"  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head, "Not really. But he would only kill on Jedi at a time, then move on and kill a couple non-Force sensitive beings and kill another Jedi. There's no pattern for the number of victims in between."  
  
"How many Jedi have been killed? How many were full fledged Jedi?"  
  
"There's been ten Jedi murdered. Three of them were ranked as Knights, four were Apprentices and the rest where not yet taken to be trained by a Master."  
  
"How many victims have there been on Coruscant?"  
  
"Thirty-five."  
  
"Then I assume that this is the killer's home planet."  
  
Sitya went back to investigation. She went through every single box, sniffed all the clothing and found they smelled the same. The earlier ones were weaker.  
  
Obi-Wan and Kugyter stayed close beside her watching what she was doing and occasionally asking questions.  
  
Sitya reached number 50 and finished shuffling through the box. She hadn't learned anything new and was getting frustrated. "I could really go for punching something right now."  
  
Obi-Wan backed up, "Don't look at me."  
  
Sitya laughed, "Scared? I think I'm done here. What time is it?"  
  
"Six."  
  
Sitya groaned. She felt grouchy and tired. She blamed it on the investigation that was going nowhere. Then again, she wasn't really the type of person to have a sunny disposition.  
  
Kugyter suggested he take her back to the Temple and on the way stop for something to eat.  
  
Sitya nodded, "Sure. I can go for that."  
  
  
  
Kugyter walked out of the Security Center and led the way to the restaurant he had picked out. He took Obi-Wan and Sitya a little deeper into the city, depth wise. And soon Sitya couldn't see the sun.  
  
Obi-Wan was becoming nervous. He didn't want to go in there without other Jedi. He decided to talk to Qui-Gon and told them where they were going. Qui-Gon had told him to only let Sitya eat and then head straight back to the Temple.  
  
Sitya was walking along beside Kugyter, he was pointing out sights and trying to make conversation. Sitya ignored him. She turned around to see where Obi-Wan was and saw he was putting his comlink away. "Reporting in boss?" she teased.  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, "Just following orders."  
  
Sitya wasn't listening, she was distracted and looking beyond him. Behind the Jedi was a what looked to be a nightclub that was called 'Razor.' Was it a coincidence? Sitya pointed it out to Kugyter and Obi-Wan.  
  
Kugyter looked surprised. "It's a nightclub. I even go there sometimes. I never even thought about it."  
  
Sitya stepped away from the group and started towards the club. Obi- Wan ran up and stopped her.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going in."  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head, "You can't. What if the killer really is in there?"  
  
"Then I'd really like to meet him and have a cup of tea." Sitya snorted. "I'd bust his ass and put him in jail."  
  
Kugyter walked up beside them, listening, "You wouldn't be able to get in there anyway. There's a dress code that you have to follow."  
  
"You've been in there before. Tell me what I have to wear."  
  
"A little bit more revealing than what you're wearing now."  
  
"Just a little?"  
  
"All right. A lot."  
  
"What kind of clothes do they wear? What style?"  
  
Kugyter laughed, "I'll go get a friend who works there. She can help you. Wait here." He moved off into the crowd and disappeared.  
  
"Sitya… What are you planning?"  
  
"I want to go shopping."  
  
Obi-Wan sighed and got out his comlink again to talk to Qui-Gon  
  
  
  
Qui-Gon, Mace and a few of the officers who were at the meeting came and met them near a fountain. Halfway between the Temple and the Security Center.  
  
"Absolutely not." Qui-Gon said firmly.  
  
Sitya spoke, "What if he is really in there? Right now? We could catch him and no one else would have to die."  
  
"What if you get caught and end up dead? He is after you too. Or don't you remember that?"  
  
Sitya raised her arms in frustration, "What am I supposed to do if you won't let me help? He knows what I look like and will notice that I'm in there. I can draw him out."  
  
Mace started shaking his head, "It's too dangerous."  
  
"Everything's dangerous. Just walking down the street, you take a chance of being hit by a car."  
  
"That's nothing like what you are talking about. You're going to be a walking target." Obi-Wan put in.  
  
"Then I'll keep moving real fast." Sitya retorted.  
  
Kugyter stepped in, taking sides with Sitya, "It is our best shot to go on. There's no other leads that we have." He had returned to meet them after picking up his friend. The young woman was wearing a very short black skirt and a tight black tank top, which showed a lot of cleavage.  
  
"Even if I did say yes, how would you be able to buy your clothes. The Jedi aren't rich and can't afford to buy you a new wardrobe." Qui-Gon was satisfied, thinking he had solved the problem.  
  
Sitya gave a smug smile, "Thanks to Eric and the money he sent over, I can afford a little splurge on clothes." She turned to Kugyter and his friend. "Let's go shopping."  
  
  
  
Sitya had followed Hubnter around for an hour. She was helpful and picked out an outfit that would fit in with the rest of the crowd. Sitya was relieved when it didn't involve a lot of leg showing. She was now sitting in Hubnter's office, above the booming bass coming from the club below. The Jedi were in another room, preparing a way for them to keep in contact with Sitya while she was in the club. It was decided that Kugyter would be accompanying her into the club, since he had been there before and knew the layout of the place. Hubnter was just finishing her hair and makeup.  
  
"There. All done." Hubnter made her get up and walk to a full-length mirror to see what she looked like. She was dressed in extremely tight leather pants, shoes that had heels that looked like towers and was wearing a white backless shirt. The type back home that had a front and a metal loop that went around the neck. Sitya really hoped nothing would come undone. Hubtner had rubbed glitter all over her exposed flesh and face. Makeup was light, but Sitya still felt like she had a mask on. Her hair was up in a bun and Hubnter had freed a few tendrils. Sitya had had to give up her lightsaber, there was no way that she could hide it in an outfit she was wearing right now. She chewed her necklace as she saw her reflection.  
  
Hubnter nodded her approval, "You look perfect."  
  
Sitya was uncomfortable, "You sure nothing's going to pop out? Am I going to have any problems?"  
  
Hubtner gave a laugh, "The only problem you'll have to worry about is having guys draping and slobbering all over you."  
  
Sitya blushed; she was already having second thoughts about this.  
  
The Jedi and Kugyter walked in and asked if she was ready. She felt them staring at her and felt really self-conscience. She was really aware of Obi-Wan and Kugyter's eyes.  
  
"You look nice." Kugyter said. He was dressed a smart looking black outfit that made him look more handsome.  
  
Sitya looked down at her outfit. "I feel like I'm going to burst out of this any minute."  
  
Kugyter gave her a sly grin, "I wouldn't mind that."  
  
To Sitya's horror she felt herself blushing.  
  
Qui-Gon stepped forward and handed her a device. "Put this in your ear."  
  
Sitya complied, "Is this one of the earpiece's that let you hear what I'm saying and I can hear you?"  
  
"How did you know that?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"I did have a life and a job that involved this sort of thing before you Jedi fell out of the sky."  
  
"Kugyter has one as well." Qui-Gon continued. "There's also a locator in it, so we'll know where you are at all times." He pointed to a small like box that one of the officers was holding. "We can see where you are on that."  
  
Sitya nodded.  
  
Kugyter stepped forward and took her arm, "Are you ready?"  
  
Sitya took a deep breath, "As ready as I'll ever be."  
  
  
  
Sitya and Kugyter stepped into the club, it was loud, the music booming and Sitya thought it sounded like the type of techno music from home. The club was full of beautiful and almost half naked people. Sitya looked around uncertainly.  
  
"Relax." Kugyter urged.  
  
"But not too much." She heard Obi-Wan say in her ear.  
  
Kugyter suggested they go to the bar and Sitya agreed, following where he pulled her. He found two chairs at the bar and sat down. He turned to the bartender, who he knew and ordered a drink for Sitya and himself.  
  
Sitya was busy surveying the crowd, everyone was moving to the music and no one seemed to be standing still. She couldn't keep her eyes on one person for more than a few seconds and then he disappeared. This is hopeless, she started to think.  
  
Kugyter urged her to take a sip of her drink, she did without thinking, it tasted fruity, like the stuff she had the other night. "This is good."  
  
Kugyter absently nodded and started talking to the bartender again. Asking questions about anything unusual that might have happened.  
  
"Hey Sugar. You want to dance?"  
  
Sitya looked to her side and saw a young man who had only cargo pants on and from the way he held himself up Sitya thought he was drunk.  
  
"No thank you."  
  
The man started to look angry, "Why not?" he demanded.  
  
Sitya had a quick retort, but decided not to use it, "I'm with someone." She said instead.  
  
Kugyter then turned around and put his arms around her, "This man bugging you sweet heart?" he purred.  
  
Sitya felt sick, she decided she really didn't like the Lieutenant, "Nothing that's serious."  
  
The drunk man studied Kugyter for a moment, as if deciding if he could fight him.  
  
Talk about mass testosterone levels, Sitya thought.  
  
The drunk man left, leaving the two alone. Kugyter kept his arms around her.  
  
Sitya got upset when he didn't let go, "Would you get your hands off me." She demanded.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want them touching me." When he didn't move them himself, Sitya forcefully removed them herself and placed them on his lap. "I'm going to the ladies room." She stalked off into the crowd.  
  
She didn't notice Kuguter slyly smiling as he watched her.  
  
  
  
Sitya made it to washrooms. It was quieter than what was outside, but still loud. She heard Obi-Wan speak in her ear, "What's the problem?"  
  
Sitya found a free bathroom stall and stepped inside, "Guy trouble." She paused, "Can Kugyter hear this?"  
  
"No. You're on a separate channel right now. Do you want to leave?"  
  
Sitya thought for a moment. It did seem like this expedition was going nowhere, "Yes. Nothing's happening. I'll get Kugyter and leave, unless his found some other girl to hold." She thought she heard a sigh of relive when she said that.  
  
Sitya again stepped outside the bathroom and made her way to the bar where she had been sitting before. Kugyter wasn't there.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
Qui-Gon spoke in her ear, "We have him to your right on the locator. Kugyter can you hear me?"  
  
"Loud and clear control."  
  
Sitya rolled her eyes. "Stay where you are I'll come to you."  
  
Qui-Gon stopped her, "No. You stay where you are. Kugyter will come to you."  
  
Sitya sighed and stood where she was, surrounded by bumping and grinding bodies. She glanced up and saw a flash, coming from the second floor of the club and in a corner. She dismissed it, but again looked up when it started to flash randomly. She studied it out of the corner of her eye, it didn't go to the beat of the music and wasn't following a set pattern. She looked up again and saw that there was a humanoid figure standing there. It looked like he was holding something.  
  
Sitya stepped back into the crowd and started to make her way to the stairs that would take her to the second floor.  
  
"Sitya what are you doing?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"Got something I want to check out. Humanoid figure that looks like he's holding a camera."  
  
"That's a negative. Wait for Kugyter."  
  
"He could be gone by then." she hissed in frustrated.  
  
"What makes you think that something like that is fishy?"  
  
"He was taking pictures in my direction. Besides it couldn't hurt."  
  
"Stay where you are." Qui-Gon said sternly.  
  
"I can take care of myself." Sitya continued climbing the stairs and reached the second floor. She headed in the direction of where she saw the figure.  
  
She heard Qui-Gon hiss in her ear, "We are going to talk about his after."  
  
"Love too." Sitya was close to where she thought the humanoid had been standing. There was still something standing there, standing so that she had a side view. He was indeed holding a camera, something like what Qui-Gon had used during the autopsy and he was holding something else. Something that a flashing red button. The humanoid was human and at least six feet tall, dressed in black and had rugged features. He also looked like he could squish someone's skull with one hand. He leaned forward against the rail, searching the crowd.  
  
Sitya decided to just walk right up to him. He turned before she was fifteen feet away from him. He spotted her and immediately bolted. Sitya followed moving through the massive crowd.  
  
"He's running." She shouted.  
  
She heard a great number of curses in her ear. The guy had made it to the stairs and was pushing his way down. "Where's Kugyter?" She looked down at the stairs and started climbing down as well.  
  
There was a grunt in her ear. "I'm on the stairs and on my butt."  
  
Sitya continued to run down the stairs. "Where?"  
  
"You just passed me."  
  
Sitya slowed a little, but didn't stop. "I'm going after him."  
  
"No. Sitya stop where you are right now." Qui-Gon demanded.  
  
Sitya ignored him and continued after the man. She couldn't see him, but followed the trail of bodies, that were lying or sitting on the floor. She saw that it headed towards the back of the nightclub. "He's going out the back way."  
  
"We're coming down right now." Obi-Wan told her.  
  
Sitya was getting tired; she was amazed that she was running as fast as she was in her heels. She made it to the back where there wasn't any dancers and saw what looked to be a security guard who was sitting down and rubbing his head. "Which way did he go?" She questioned.  
  
The guard pointed to the door behind him, "Out that way."  
  
Sitya sprinted towards the door and shoved it open. The other side of the nightclub was dark. There was a passageway that could fit two people side by side and it went both ways. In front of her there was a railing that looked like it would fall apart if someone touched it. She slowly stepped forward and glanced down. It was of dizzying height, a long way down. Sitya glanced around; there were a whole bunch of shadows where the man could be hiding. She wished she had some sort of weapon with her or the man didn't have anything with him.  
  
"Where are you?" she whispered. Instead Obi-Wan spoke in her ear.  
  
"Kugyter's with us. We're making our way to the back exit." Obi-Wan told her.  
  
Sitya nodded and continued to look around her. It was incredibly quiet and Sitya heard her ragged breathing coming out in gasps. Sitya couldn't resist; she started to make her way to her left, slowly looking into shadows. She knew it was dumb, but she'd rather find him than him coming out and finding her.  
  
She had worked her way through five shadows when she heard a distant whine that was getting closer. The exit door of the nightclub burst open; the Jedi and Kuygter stumbled out. They were a couple hundred yards away from her. Sitya turned to them, standing in front of a new shadow, "I haven't found anything. Look down there." She pointed in the opposite direction of where she was.  
  
Mace and Kuygter headed in the other direction, while Obi-Wan and Qui- Gon moved towards her. She could see that both were upset.  
  
"I told you to stay where you were." Qui-Gon scolded her.  
  
"Live with it."  
  
She turned back to her shadow and peered inside, a form burst out from the darkness and slammed into her. The man's momentum dragged both of them over the rail and the two of them grabbed on to the railing to stop from falling.  
  
Sitya looked into the man's face. His eyes were crazed and looked like he had some serious issues. The green eyes stared into hers and Sitya had to fight a sense of nausea. She could also smell the odor that she had found on the victims clothing. He really did look like he was mad. The man let one arm go and reached behind him, pulling out a knife and then swung it at her.  
  
Sitya tried to get out of the way, but still got cut from the thing. Lengthwise down her left arm. She screamed, not because she was hurt, which she was, but she was angry. Sitya held on tightly to the railing with both hands and raised her legs and gave a solid kick in the man's stomach, ripping his shirt. He let out a surprised gasp.  
  
Sitya heard the whining grow louder and looked down, there was a speeder that was directly below them and a figure that was gesturing up to the man. Telling him to jump in.  
  
The green eyes flicked down and then back up to her eyes. He gave her a predatory smile, "I'll see you later." He let go and landed in the speeder.  
  
Sitya quickly let go of the railing and held on with her right arm. With her injured left, she dug out the device in her ear and threw it down after the man. She quickly brought her hand back up and hanged onto the railing. While she angrily watched the speeder take off.  
  
She heard voices above her and looked up. Qui-Gon's and Obi-Wan's concerned faces peered down on her. "Are you all right?"  
  
Sitya nodded.  
  
The two Jedi reached down and grabbed her arms. She bit her lip when Obi-Wan grabbed her left and hoisted her to solid ground. They quickly got her on the walkway and Sitya wearily sat down. Mace and Kuygter soon joined them.  
  
Sitya focused on her breathing, trying to calm down. "He had a friend. It was a human as well and sounded like a woman." She wearily gestured to where the speeder had gone. "The friend had a speeder and drove off that way." She pointed to her left.  
  
Sitya's left arm was starting to feel heavy. It was dark, so she couldn't see what the wound looked like, but she could feel the warm blood on her arm.  
  
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon tried to help her up, but she couldn't help herself from screaming when Obi-Wan's hands closed around her wound.  
  
Obi-Wan was concerned, he could now feel the blood on his own hands and felt guilty. "Sorry."  
  
Sitya gave a little laugh, through tears, "It's all right. You didn't know."  
  
Qui-Gon questioned what was wrong.  
  
"She's got a cut on her left arm. From the feel of it, it's pretty bad."  
  
Qui-Gon moved to her left side and brought out a little flashlight and peered at her wound. 'These guys have everything.' She thought.  
  
"She's going to need a bacta patch to put on. It looks pretty deep."  
  
Sitya shook her head, "No."  
  
Obi-Wan was frustrated, "What do you mean 'no'?"  
  
"Need to do some tests. See if it's one of the knives used on the victims. Then we'll know if it's the killer. I think he is. He had the same odor as the victims." She asked a question, "Do any of you have that locator box thing?"  
  
Mace nodded, holding it up in his hand.  
  
"I dropped my earpiece in the speeder, see if you can find it." She suddenly felt sick and tired, her eyes grew heavy and she fainted.  
  
  
  
Sitya woke up slowly and found that she was lying in her assigned room. She also saw that she was wearing her pajamas and wondered who had changed her. She blushed; hoping it wasn't the male form of any species. Her left arm was itchy and Sitya looked over at it. There was a patch of some kind on it. Sitya sat up suddenly and all the blood rushed from her head, she felt dizzy and groaned.  
  
She felt a moist hand on her right and looked over, Bant was there looking at her, "Are you all right?"  
  
"Was there tests taken before that thing was put on?" she immediately asked.  
  
The Mon Calamari sighed, "Yes there was. The lab at the Center is analyzing them right now. How do you feel?" she asked again.  
  
"Do you know when they'll be finished?"  
  
Qui-Gon, Mace and Obi-Wan walked in. She was glad when she saw Kuygter that wasn't with them.  
  
"They are done." Qui-Gon answered her.  
  
Sitya started to get up, but Bant put a hand on her chest and pushed her back down. "You are staying here for another couple of hours. To get rest and heal."  
  
Sitya gave an exasperated look, "It's not like I've never been sliced up before." She told them.  
  
Bant shook her head, "You will still stay here and rest."  
  
Sitya sighed and sat back in bed, "What do the tests say? What about the speeder?"  
  
"The knife mark on your arm is consistent with some of the wounds on the victims. The speeder was found abandoned a few kilometers away, behind a type drug store. Nothing was found." Mace supplied for her. "The Council has also agreed that no more adventures such as this are to take place again."  
  
"I can take of myself."  
  
Obi-Wan snorted, "You did a fine job of that yesterday."  
  
Sitya looked over at him, "Yesterday?"  
  
Bant nodded, "You've been asleep for 20 hours. Partly because of your loss of blood and some of the medicine that was put in you."  
  
Sitya gave a skeptical look at the Jedi, "You purposefully drugged me." She accused. "You didn't want me moving anywhere, so you drugged me."  
  
All three of the male Jedi gave some sort of guilty expression, she couldn't tell on the Mon Calamari.  
  
Obi-Wan gave her a sort of smile, "It was the only way to make sure you wouldn't be going anywhere."  
  
Bant got up and said that she needed rest. She ushered the two grown Jedi out, but Obi-Wan managed to stay. He walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge. He nervously fingered the blue blanket and wouldn't meet her eyes. He finally looked up, "Why did you do it?"  
  
Sitya sighed, "I did what I thought was right."  
  
"Even if it would have killed you?"  
  
Sitya shrugged, "But it didn't."  
  
"It almost did!" Obi-Wan said furiously.  
  
"All that happened was me hanging from a railing and getting sliced on the arm. No big deal." Obi-Wan looked like he was going to say something else, so Sitya continued, "Obi-Wan. You know about my past. What type of work I did. I was trained, along with Dawn and Troi, to do that type of thing. Consider it part of my job. Haven't you heard any stories about what we did?"  
  
Obi-Wan gave a slow nod, "From what I heard, I can only describe you as crazy."  
  
Sitya shrugged again, "If that's what you think. But I'm sure that you've also done some crazy things as well. Things you haven't told me about."  
  
Obi-Wan sighed, "That's not the point."  
  
Sitya got angry, "So it's all right for you to go out and do stunts, trying to catch murderers. But it's not okay for me to do the same thing!"  
  
"I just don't want you to get hurt." He said softly.  
  
Sitya looked surprised, "Why?"  
  
"I… I just don't want you to. I like you."  
  
Sitya snorted, "What kind of drugs are you on?"  
  
Obi-Wan gave her a weird look, "I'm serous."  
  
Sitya looked again at Obi-Wan and saw something she didn't know what to make of. "I'm tired." She said quickly, she didn't know what else to say and wanted time to herself to think.  
  
Obi-Wan slowly got up and gave her one last look before he closed the door behind him.  
  
  
  
Sitya again slept through the night and woke up when it was eight the next morning. She slowly got up, remembering the time before. She looked down and saw that her bandage was changed. Her arm didn't ache as much as it did before. She debated whether she should get up and face the wrath of the Jedi instructed to watch over her. She got up and dressed, with some difficulty, her left arm wasn't doing what her brain wanted it to. With even more difficulty, she put her hair up in her usual ponytail.  
  
Finally dressed, she walked out of her room. The quarters were quiet. Sitya tiptoed into the living room and saw that the only occupant was the Jedi Master Yoda. He was sitting on the floor, mediating, like she had seen Obi-Wan doing. Again she tried to leave without disturbing what a Jedi was doing when he sat with his eyes closed, but failed again.  
  
"Awake you are." Yoda's large eyes popped open and looked at her.  
  
Sitya nodded, "Sorry. I didn't know you were busy."  
  
The alien raised his ears, "Hmm. Food in kitchen. Eat you must."  
  
Sitya walked into the kitchen and saw a pot waiting for her. She heard Yoda say he would like some as well and to bring it into the living room.  
  
Sitya opened up the pot and a horrible smell invaded her nostrils. She quickly spooned the stuff into two bowls and brought it out to the tiny Master.  
  
"Sit."  
  
Sitya sat on the floor with the Master.  
  
"Eat."  
  
Sitya warily looked at the stuff, and slowly took a bite. She had to fight not to make a disgusted face.  
  
Yoda watched her, not saying anything or eating. "Like it. Do you not."  
  
Sitya looked him in the eye. "You want my honest answer?"  
  
Yoda nodded his head, gravely. "Always honest a person should be."  
  
"It tastes absolutely disgusting and I feel like I'm going to throw up." She said with a straight face.  
  
The alien studied her and then started to give a gleeful laugh. "Honest you were! First person who was!"  
  
Sitya had a surprised look on her face, "Was this some type of test?" she questioned.  
  
Yoda nodded, "Yes. Pass, the first you were."  
  
"Have I been through any other tests?"  
  
The alien nodded his head again, "Hmm."  
  
"How did I do on those?"  
  
"Surprised I was. Called squirt I have not."  
  
Sitya grimaced, "Did I get extra points for that?"  
  
Yoda just sat and stared at her.  
  
"Guess not."  
  
"Closed your mind is."  
  
"You've said that before."  
  
Yoda pursed his lips with his finger. "How?"  
  
Sitya had no idea. "I don't know. Maybe I just do it automatically."  
  
"Teach you I will."  
  
"Teach what?"  
  
"Jedi ways."  
  
"No thank you. I already have one impossible job."  
  
"Jedi, impossible it is not. Teach you I will. Close eyes you will."  
  
Sitya obeyed. "What am I supposed to be doing?"  
  
"Clear your mind you must."  
  
Sitya tried to do that. She felt a slight touch of disappointed from Yoda.  
  
"Full your mind is."  
  
Sitya opened her eyes. "I have a lot to think about."  
  
"Hmm. Think. What of?"  
  
"Murders."  
  
"Do not focus on. Time for mediating it is."  
  
"I can't do that!" Sitya said frustrated.  
  
Yoda sighed. "Something physical better choice." He gave her a look. "But later, mediate you will." Yoda moved slowly towards the couch where he had placed his bag. Sitya had no idea how the Master could have carried it. The thing was twice the size of the alien.  
  
Yoda grunted as he opened the bag and started rummaging in it. Sitya got up to help him when she saw him almost fall in. "Need some help?"  
  
"Sphere I have. Take out you will."  
  
Sitya found the thing. It had little circles covering it and Sitya thought she saw little barrels of some sort in the circles. She handed it to the Jedi Master.  
  
He pointed to a stool. "There I will sit."  
  
Sitya gingerly picked the Master up and placed him on the stool. She hoped he wouldn't fall off. The last thing she needed right now was to be blamed for an injured Jedi Master. Or a dead one.  
  
"Get your lightsaber you will."  
  
Sitya walked out of the living room, to her own and picked up her lightsaber on her chest of drawers. She walked back into the room and saw the sphere floating in the middle of the living room.  
  
Yoda pointed her to the middle of the room as well and she stood where he told her to.  
  
"What now?"  
  
The sphere shot something at her that stabbed her on her right thigh. The bolt stung, "Ouch!"  
  
She leaned over to rub her sore spot, but she felt a tingling at the back of her mind. Without thinking she activated her white lightsaber and blocked the shot aimed at her face.  
  
Yoda laughed gleefully. "Good."  
  
"You could have told me that thing was programmed to kill!" she said testily.  
  
Yoda only gave her a goofy grin.  
  
Sitya spent the next two hours with Yoda and the energy ball. Yoda instructed her on the ways of the Force, how to feel and react on her feelings. At one point he had her close her eyes and deflect the bolts. At first Sitya couldn't stop anything and ended up getting shocked every time the energy ball fired. After a while Sitya got better and only let a few through and for the past 15 minutes nothing had gotten through her defenses.  
  
Yoda held out his hand and the sphere floated into his hand. "Good."  
  
Sitya was tired and also sweating. She just nodded her head at the compliment.  
  
Yoda instructed her to sit before him and she practically collapsed.  
  
The Master again raised the sphere from his hand and floated softly in front of her face. "Lift."  
  
Sitya gave a puzzled look.  
  
"Feel."  
  
Sitya closed her eyes and reached out with her senses, she grasped on to what Yoda was doing and tried to copy it. She had had experience with this before. At home or at the office when she thought she needed a break, she would try to lift a pencil or a book, just for the heck of it. She hadn't reached the stage where she could lift it all into the air, but she was successful in making the things move. Sitya now felt what she had been doing wrong and fixed it.  
  
Yoda watched the young woman before him; she was focused on what she was doing, her face having a faint sheen of sweat. Her mind was clear and no thoughts of the murders taking place. He slowly let go of his Force hold and soon Sitya was the only one who was holding up the ball.  
  
"Feel the Force flow. Yes. Distractions there will be. Focused you must be."  
  
Sitya vaguely heard what he said and continued to hold on to the ball.  
  
The door to the quarters opened. Bant, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Mace entered. They walked into the place and walked over to where they saw Yoda sitting. All four of them stopped when they saw Sitya on the floor, her eyes closed and a ball floating in front of her face.  
  
"Are you helping her?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
Yoda looked over at them and smiled, "Helping her I am not. Good she is. First distraction she has passed."  
  
Obi-Wan gave a wicked smile, "I know how to distract her." He moved to stand behind Sitya and sat down. He raised his hands and started to tickle her.  
  
Sitya's eyes snapped open and she lost her concentration on the ball; it fell to the ground. She started laughing. "Stop it!" She shrieked.  
  
On his stool, Yoda shook his head as the other Jedi started to laugh.  
  
Obi-Wan continued to tickle her and wouldn't let go. The two started rolling on the floor, Sitya gasping for breath.  
  
Sitya reached out with her senses, trying to remember what Yoda had taught her. With Obi-Wan still tickling her, she grasped onto the sphere, lying on the floor and lifted it up. She angled it over Obi-Wan and found the switch that would activate it.  
  
A bolt laced out and got Obi-Wan in the back. "Ouch!" he let go of Sitya and sat up, rubbing his back. "You had it on high power!"  
  
Sitya got up, wiping tears from her eyes; she had laughed to hard. "I didn't know there was different settings."  
  
Bant came and knelt beside her, "How is your arm?"  
  
Sitya moved her left arm around, "Doesn't hurt."  
  
Bant nodded and grasped on to the bandage and ripped it off.  
  
"Ouch! That did!" Sitya glanced down and saw there was only a faint little scar on her arm. "Funky doodle! It's gone!"  
  
Obi-Wan looked at her "Funky doodle?"  
  
"I'm allowed to say something stupid once in awhile. Aren't I?" She looked at the Jedi, "What's up?"  
  
"We just wanted to see how you were doing." Qui-Gon told her.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Fine she is. First to pass food test she is."  
  
"What food test?"  
  
"One you have all failed."  
  
The four Jedi winced.  
  
"Is it the one where you made us eat that awful stuff and ask what we thought of it?" Mace asked.  
  
"The one it is. Only honest answer I had from Basts it was." Yoda gave a wry smile. "Taste it I would not."  
  
  
  
Yoda had left, along with Qui-Gon and Mace, leaving Sitya, Obi-Wan and Bant alone. Bant was in her room, doing whatever a Mon Calamari would do. Obi-Wan and Sitya sat in the living room, moving objects with their thoughts.  
  
Sitya was delighted that she had finally figured out how to move objects properly and was becoming good at. "What were you doing this morning?"  
  
Obi-Wan watched her as she placed one book on top of another. She was forming a tower and wanted to see how high she could make it before it toppled to the floor. It was halfway to the ceiling. "I need more books." She looked around for some more.  
  
"We just went for a walk. To the 'Razor'. See what we could find."  
  
Sitya quickly looked over at him. She had completely forgotten about what was happening and felt angry at herself.  
  
Obi-Wan saw this, "I'm sure that was Master Yoda's point of staying with you. You needed time to think about something else."  
  
Sitya angrily got up and walked to the table that held all her notes. She sat down and started to sort through all of them. "From the time I've spent playing with books, could have been used to find our killers. Not to mention someone else could have died."  
  
"Sitya. There's only so much you can do."  
  
Sitya angrily put down her notes. "Well, it's not enough!"  
  
Obi-Wan got off the floor and stood beside her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I just want to find him or them. He has a friend. Even if we catch one there's still the other that we have to deal with." She sighed. "This is the first time I've been on my own doing an investigation like this. I don't know what to do."  
  
Obi-Wan reached for her hand. "You're doing a fine job. You've found evidence that no one else has found." He tried to joke, but he was still scared about what happened the other night. "You even saw what he looked like. You probably scared him too. Now, maybe he'll make mistakes."  
  
"The only mistakes I'll be able to catch are the ones left on his victims." She said depressed.  
  
"What do you want to do?"  
  
Sitya looked at him. "I want to go over to the Security Center, see if there's an artist over there who can draw the man I saw. And see if there's anything about the smell that was found."  
  
Obi-Wan slowly nodded; he didn't want her going out again. "Alright. I'll tell Qui-Gon.  
  
  
  
Kuygter met them, when they walked into the building. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine." Sitya showed her pass to a guard and made her way down halls to where the Wookiee had been working.  
  
"Where are you going?" Kuygter asked.  
  
"Santa. I want to see if he has any presents for me." Sitya knew she was being cynical towards him, but she didn't care. That was how she treated most people. Why should she be any different to him? Especially when she disliked him.  
  
Sitya found the Wookiee at the same desk he had occupied before. "Hello."  
  
The Wookiee glanced up and greeted her with a bark.  
  
Bant, Obi-Wan and Kuygter followed her in.  
  
"Have you found anything about the smell on the clothes?"  
  
The Wookiee got up and picked up a folder, barking something.  
  
"He says that he sent one of the garments to a perfume company. There were people there who can smell all sorts of stuff. They said it wasn't a perfume." Obi-Wan told her.  
  
Sitya nodded, "What about laundry detergents?"  
  
"He says their testing that now."  
  
Sitya sat back and looked over the file the Wookiee had given her. It said what he had told her, just in a more elaborate form. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name." She held out her hand. "I'm Dr. Basts."  
  
The Wookiee started barking something at her, as his huge paw engulfed her hand.  
  
"He says humans call him 'Trug.'"  
  
Sitya smiled, "Nice to meet you Trug. Do you know of anything else that would have this smell to it?"  
  
Trug slowly shook his head.  
  
Sitya glanced at the other people gathered, "Do you?"  
  
All three shook their heads.  
  
Sitya sighed and started to chew on her necklace. "I'm sure it's so obvious that we're just over looking it. It's probably something we see everyday."  
  
A yellow Twi'lek came into the room, "Captain Furt wants to see you."  
  
"How does he know I'm here?" she asked as the officer left.  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged.  
  
Sitya stood up and thanked the Wookiee for his time. "Time to face the adoring public."  
  
  
  
Captain Furt's office was on the tenth floor of the Center, it was spacious and decorated with medals and plaques of praise. Furt wasn't in his office right now and the five beings had to wait for him to return from whatever he was doing.  
  
After ten minutes of waiting, the oversized Captain stepped into this office and sat down at his desk. He directed a cold glare at Sitya. "I'm so glad that our special case has made time in her busy schedule for me." He sneered.  
  
Sitya ignored the comment and waited for him to continue.  
  
"What made you think you could go to a nightclub and try to catch a dangerous killer? I gave you no authorization for you to do that."  
  
Sitya calmly replied to his tirade. "We had one of your officers with us. Lieutenant Kuygter." Sitya pointed to the man sitting beside her. "I assumed since he agreed to go in the club and he was the ranking officer at the time that you agreed as well. There was also other officers there as well, officers that are under you command."  
  
The Captain glanced over at his officer. "I didn't hear anything of this." He stated.  
  
Sitya looked over at the Lieutenant. Why hadn't he reported what they were doing? "I was not aware that you were not informed."  
  
The Captain leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I have hundreds of officers I need to keep an eye on. I can't afford for this to happen again."  
  
Kuygter nodded, "Yes sir."  
  
The Captain sighed, "The press has gotten a hold on this incident." He looked over at Sitya, "They've twisted the story around so much I don't even know what's true."  
  
Sitya told him what had happened, and the Captain nodded as he heard the full and true story. "How did the press get a hold of this?"  
  
The Captain sighed, "Ten minutes ago there was a special report on the Holonet. It had pictures and video." He looked at Sitya. "Of you in the nightclub. I must say that that outfit was very revealing."  
  
Kuygter snorted beside her, "And damned sexy."  
  
Obi-Wan glared at him, while Sitya tried to ignore that comment. She suddenly felt dirty and she had the sudden urge to wanting a shower. Bant watched from the side.  
  
"The news cast said that they had received a letter from the killer. They showed it and read from it." The Captain picked up a datapad. "'To the woman in the picture, Dr. Sitya Basts. Expect another victim in one day. What's the smell in the air you ask? It's the smell of cleanliness and godliness.'"  
  
The Captain set down the datapad and looked at Sitya. "Any idea what that meant."  
  
"There is a saying that 'cleanliness is next to godliness.' I think that the killers working at some sort of cleaning place or company. Laundry, carpets…"  
  
The Captain nodded. "From what you've told me, you had a look at the man who's doing this?"  
  
Sitya nodded. "I wanted to find an artist who could draw what I saw."  
  
The Captain nodded, "Exactly what I had in mind."  
  
Before she left Sitya turned to the Captain again, "Just so this doesn't happen again, this is where I'm staying and how you can contact me. Feel free to comm me if anything new comes up or you have questions." She gave him directions and he entered them on a datapad.  
  
The Captain nodded his thanks. "Thank you. I'll do that.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan paced outside the room, where Sitya was. She had been in there for the past hour, trying to describe what the killer looked like.  
  
Sitya stepped out from the room; she looked tired and drained.  
  
The petite Bothan spoke to her. "We'll get this to the news right away."  
  
Sitya nodded, "Make sure that you tell them there is more than one. The other person sounded like a woman."  
  
The Bothan nodded and headed down the hall.  
  
Obi-Wan walked up to her when the Bothan left, Bant was beside him. "Anything you want me to do?"  
  
Sitya smiled, "All I want to do is have a bath and then go to sleep. I don't think you'd to help me with that."  
  
Obi-Wan was glad she was smiling. "I don't know. It would depend if you wanted me to help."  
  
Sitya looked away when she felt herself blushing.  
  
Bant took her by the arm and steered her to the door and towards the Jedi Temple. She gave Obi-Wan a glance as she led the young woman away from the smiling man.  
  
  
  
Sitya woke up the next morning still tired and grumpy. She didn't bother dressing out of her pajamas and just walked into the kitchen to get breakfast.  
  
Obi-Wan looked up from what he was reading, "Good Morning."  
  
Sitya grunted, "What's so good about it?" She reached for the café, but there wasn't any left. She swore and started banging around trying to find the grains she needed for the stuff. She set it up and then slumped down at the living room table. She stared vacantly at the folders and papers on the table.  
  
"Am I ever glad I don't have to wake up to you every morning." Obi- Wan teased.  
  
Sitya nodded, "If you did, you'd probably be a lifeless sack of bones." She really needed that café. Sitya thought she was becoming too dependent on the stuff since she had arrived.  
  
"I must say. I think you look better first thing in the morning. You look almost normal."  
  
Sitya absently patted her frizzy and unbrushed hair. "What do you mean?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged, "You just look a little bit more open. More approachable."  
  
Sitya snorted, "Most people would say that their mornings aren't their best time of the day. I'm one of them. Anything new?"  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head.  
  
Sitya sighed. "Not even anything from Trug? About that stuff we can smell."  
  
"He did comm me earlier this morning. He said he was looking for the smell and places that would use detergent to clean things."  
  
Sitya nodded and then slapped her forehead. Causing Obi-Wan to jump in surprise. "I'm so stupid!" She got up and ran to her room. "We have to get to the Center now!"  
  
  
  
Sitya had waited impatiently for Qui-Gon and Mace to meet them at the apartment. Bant had been out, buying food for diner and had arrived to find an excited young woman.  
  
Bant was mystified by the way Sitya was running around, impatiently waiting for the Masters and had practically pounced on them when they opened the door.  
  
"Let's go!" Sitya grabbed the two older Jedi by the arms and started running down the corridors of the Temple, earning some glances from other Jedi.  
  
Sitya would have run all the way to the Center, but the Jedi told her to slow down and walk or they would carry her. Sitya fidgeted and pulled at the hem of her shirt. "Let's take a transport. We'll get there faster than you guys walking. I'll even pay." Before the Jedi said anything, Sitya went and waved down an airtaxi.  
  
Sitya was the first in and froze when she was inside.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mace asked.  
  
Sitya waved her hand at him to get in and leaned closer to the upholstery, then she turned and questioned the Twi'lek driver.  
  
"Did you just wash this vehicle?" she asked.  
  
The driver nodded, "You're my first ride since I cleaned it."  
  
The Jedi were looking at each other in disbelief.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Razor's Speeder Wash."  
  
  
  
The Sitya and the Jedi bolted out of the taxi once they arrived at the building. Sitya was the first in the building and headed straight to Turg's office. She ran into Kuygter and he questioned what was happening, Sitya just said she had found something and wanted to check if it was right. Kuygter disappeared and left her alone.  
  
Sitya skidded on the floor as she tried to stop and the startled Wookiee looked up at her.  
  
"I need your help. Is there a network here that shows where all of Coruscant's stores are?"  
  
The Wookiee nodded and led her to a room at the end of the hall full of computers where a short male human sat hunched over a computer.  
  
Trug barked and the human jumped. "I didn't do it!" he looked over and saw that he had visitors. He nervously lowered his glasses and stared at them. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"I need a complete listing of all Razor's Speeder Wash's locations." Sitya stepped forward.  
  
The nerdy man looked at her, "Aren't you the one that was on the news?"  
  
Sitya shook her head, "You have me confused with someone else. Could you please do what I asked?"  
  
The man nodded and turned to a different computer in the room. "It may take a while."  
  
"You have all the time I have to offer."  
  
"What's going on?" Bant asked.  
  
Sitya was excited and chewing on her necklace she explained, "This morning I was thinking about the smell and the detergent that would be used and where it would be used. I was thinking locally, not intergalactically. The same smell came from all victims, even the ones that were off planet. I started to think of stores and for the killer to use the same brand, he would need a supply of it. An intergalactic chain of stores."  
  
"How did you know about the taxi?" Mace asked.  
  
"I didn't. That was a lucky break." She glanced up at Trug, "Can you get a list of where the bodies were found?"  
  
The giant lumbered out of the room.  
  
"Luckily with the airtaxi, we can narrow our search to one store. Does anyone know if Razor's is intergalactic?"  
  
The computer man looked up, "I think it is. I've seen those ads on the Holonet that say they are the widest located vehicle wash in the galaxy. You're vehicle will smell like no other. Their slogan is 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness." He added his computer gave a ding. "The list is ready."  
  
Sitya nodded as Trug came back with a datapad. She handed it to the computer man and instructed him to use the Coruscant's victims to compare to the list of vehicle washes.  
  
The man hit a few keys and a map in the center of the room emerged. Four yellow dots and a blur of blue ones. He started taking. "There's only four Razor's on Coruscant. From the victims list only one is near to where the victim's bodies were found. The one right down the road."  
  
Sitya nodded, excited. "Do you have access to other planets information? Like Corellia?  
  
The man nodded, "I could try." He hit a few keys and the map changed again. "I've already entered to data of the victims from that planet." Again yellow dots formed followed by a greater number of blue ones. "There's only one that is near all the locations."  
  
Sitya stood up, "Try to get information of who has connections to those two sites and get it too me as soon as possible. Check the other planets where victims were found and if there's a Razor's wash near there. I'm going up to the Captain to tell him what we've found."  
  
  
  
Sitya raced into the Captain's office without thinking and surprised him at his desk, talking on the phone. "We've found a lead. The smell comes from a vehicle wash that's called Razor's Speeder Wash. I've already had someone downstairs run tests and the bodies on Coruscant are all located near the same one." She saw the Captain's sad face, "What is it?"  
  
"We've found another body."  
  
  
  
Sitya sat silently in the police cruiser. She had stopped at the Temple to get her medical bag and was heading out to where the latest body had been placed. The Captain sat up front, with the driver and Lieutenant Kuygter sat beside her in the back seat.  
  
"Not fast enough Dr. Basts. Pity. We might have been able to find the killers before this happened. This time a little human boy."  
  
Sitya looked over at Kuygter then back out her window and the passing buildings beside them.  
  
"At least she found something." The Captain said. "We'll head over there after you're done here Dr. Basts. We'll search the place and rip it apart if we have to. I think you might want to come."  
  
Sitya nodded and continued to stare out the window.  
  
The Captain turned and faced her, "The killers don't know what you've found out." He said softly. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll be there and we can end all this."  
  
Sitya looked down at her hands, "Don't you need a warrant to search that wash?"  
  
The Captain smiled, "Already got it." He waved a piece of material.  
  
"Why don't you go over there now?"  
  
"Press is already at the scene. Need to make an appearance so the killer doesn't think there's something wrong."  
  
The driver pulled up next to a convenience store and Sitya saw a mass of beings being kept at bay by officers. Sitya climbed out and started to follow the Captain. The press saw her and pounced asking absurd questions.  
  
"Dr. Basts! Is it true that the killer is a past lover?"  
  
"Has the killer sent you flowers?"  
  
Sitya tried to shove her way through, but was stopped from the reporters surrounding her. She felt tired and didn't want to deal with this. She found Mace and Qui-Gon were standing on either side of her and then they started to push their way to the store, dragging Sitya between them. Obi-Wan and Bant followed.  
  
The officers on guard let them pass and Sitya stepped into the store. She smelt blood immediately and suddenly she didn't want to do this anymore. She looked over and saw two guards, one male Twi'lek and one male human standing before a little human girl who was sitting on a chair, her face streaked with tears. There was also a very distressed looking Bothan surrounded by other officers. Sitya walked over and talked softly to the girl.  
  
"Hi. My name is Sitya. What's yours?" Sitya knelt down in front of her.  
  
The girl looked up and sniffed. "Myndi."  
  
Sitya put out her hand to shake it, she was aware that it was hot and sweaty. Sitya set down her medical bag. "Do you feel sick?"  
  
The girl looked confused and raised a hand to wipe away snot from her nose. "I don't know."  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
The girl was crying, "I feel awful." She looked at the two officers standing around her. "Make them go away." She pleaded.  
  
Sitya looked at the officers and tilted her head to the side, indicting they should leave them alone. They did move away, but were still near.  
  
Obi-Wan and the other Jedi stood to the side and watched Sitya talking to the girl. Obi-Wan started to dislike Sitya's job. Why did she have to pick the most gruesome job there was? He decided he would try to make her happy from now on.  
  
Sitya slowly reached forward and felt the girl's forehead. It was hot. "Do you have a headache?"  
  
The girl nodded and watched as Sitya opened her bag. Sitya pulled out an icepack and placed it on the girl's head.  
  
"You're really hot." Sitya spoke. "Hot like a volcano." She tried to joke, the girl just watched her. "Did you see the boy that died?" she asked gently.  
  
The girl nodded again, "He's my little brother."  
  
Sitya was shocked, she hadn't known this. "Where's your mommy and daddy?"  
  
"I don't have a mommy. She died when Neyt was born." He bottom lip started to tremble when she said the name.  
  
"Was your little brother's name Neyt?"  
  
The girl nodded again.  
  
"Tell me about you daddy." Sitya urged.  
  
"My daddy's at work."  
  
"He leaves you alone?"  
  
The girl nodded. "We're poor. Daddy can't afford a babysitter."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"I'm seven."  
  
"What about your brother?"  
  
"He's five." The girl glanced behind Sitya to the back of the store, where Sitya assumed the body was.  
  
"Has your daddy been contacted?"  
  
The girl shrugged her shoulders.  
  
Sitya turned to the Twi'lek officer, "Has the father been contacted?"  
  
"We were just doing that when you got here. He's on his way here now."  
  
Sitya turned back to the girl. "Is this where you and your brother come when your daddy's gone?"  
  
The girl nodded, she pointed to the nervous Bothan, "Mr. Lopity lets us in. He lets us work and gives us a little money if we help clean up."  
  
"Where was Mr. Lopity when your little brother was found." The girl refused to look at her and started to cry again. "Where were you when your brother was here? How did he get here?" Sitya looked at the officers and spoke quietly, "Did she say anything about this to you?"  
  
The guards shook their heads.  
  
Sitya turned her attention back to the girl and made the girl look her in the face. "Myndi. I need you to answer my questions. I'm trying to help catch the people who did this to your little brother."  
  
The girl bit her lip, "Mr. Lopity was in the bathroom. The bad people made it so he couldn't get out." Her lip trembled. "I… hid behind the counter." She pointed to the cash counter. "I didn't want to come out. Neyt was screaming really loud. I didn't want to come out, I was scared."  
  
Sitya herself bit her lip. The little girl had heard her brother die and was too scared to move. "Tell me what you did see."  
  
"The man and the woman walked in. The man was carrying Neyt. They didn't see me." She paused. "Neyt didn't look really good, he was pale and didn't say anything. He just made this sound of noise that sounded weird. I phoned the Security officers after I heard him stop screaming and saw…"  
  
"I was playing with my dolls behind the counter. I didn't know what was going to happen. They were nice before."  
  
Sitya stared at the girl, "They were here before?"  
  
The girl nodded, "They came here a couple of days ago. They said they needed to call an airtaxi, because their speeder had broken down. Then they came here again, early this morning and said they had a surprise for Neyt. He went with them. I didn't want him too." The girl again grew quiet and her eyes filled with tears.  
  
Sitya turned around looking for the Captain; she spotted him and waved him over. "Do you have that picture that the artist drew?"  
  
The Captain nodded and handed her a piece of paper.  
  
Sitya turned back to the girl, "Can you tell me what the man looked like the first time you saw him?"  
  
The girl nodded, "He was tall and he wore all black." She shuddered, "His eyes were scary, they were green and I thought he looked goofy. That's why I didn't want Neyt to go alone. But they were always nice to us. They even bought us some candy before."  
  
"Can you remember anything else?"  
  
"He had a big rip in his shirt. He was bleeding. When Neyt asked if it hurt, he just laughed. He said that the person who did it would be hurt the next time he saw her."  
  
Sitya felt her heart sink, this person was a real sick one. She held out the picture of the drawing, "Is this what the man looked like?"  
  
The girl nodded vigorously.  
  
"Can you remember anything about the woman that was with him?"  
  
"She was dressed in black too. She had really long blonde hair."  
  
Sitya got up, "Thank you Myndi. You've helped a lot." She moved away and was surprised when the girl lunged for her arm.  
  
"You can't go! You have to stay with me!"  
  
Sitya knelt again and looked into the girl's eyes. "Myndi. I have a job to do. I have to do it so I can help your brother and I can't do it with you hanging on my arm."  
  
The girl didn't let go. She shook her head. "No. You can't leave."  
  
Sitya sighed, "I have something that makes me brave when I don't know what's going to happen. Can I show you?"  
  
The girl nodded, but still didn't let go of her arm.  
  
Sitya searched her necklace for the clasp and undid it. She held the silver chain and little ankh in front of the girl. "This is my bravery and thinking necklace. Whenever I'm unsure of something or if I'm afraid, I reach up and touch it. The necklace helps me. I'll give it to you, so it can help you, but you have to promise that you'll let go so I can do my job."  
  
The girl slowly nodded.  
  
Sitya placed the necklace around the girl's neck and did the clasp up again. Sitya smiled, "It's helped me a lot and been with me for a very long time. I hope it does the same for you."  
  
Myndi looked down at the necklace and let go of Sitya's hand.  
  
There was a commotion and Sitya saw a middle-aged man running into the store and then straight to Myndi. He picked her up and started hugging her, crying hysterically.  
  
Sitya discreetly left and made her way to where a cluster of officers and Qui-Gon were standing at the back of the store.  
  
Sitya rounded the corner and felt sick. There was no cleanliness at this scene. The floor was soaked with blood and the boy was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Sitya surveyed the rest of the scene. It looked like the boy's original clothing was neatly folded to the side along with his shoes. Sitya glanced back at the body. Under all the blood, she thought he was wearing the same type of material the other victims had worn. The only difference was it was covered in blood.  
  
Kuygter walked up beside her, "Think something went wrong?"  
  
"I think they were in a hurry. They knew we were on to something." Sitya looked around and spotted an officer with a camera. "Let's start taking pictures."  
  
  
  
The next stop was the vehicle wash. Sitya again climbed out of the police cruiser and walked up to the entrance. The Captain was explaining to the manager what was happening, while the officers moved around the place searching for clues.  
  
"Have you seen this man?" the Captain asked.  
  
The manager nodded his head, "Sure. He's one of my best workers, makes everything spotless."  
  
"What's his name?"  
  
"Ducyn Utyer. Is he in trouble?"  
  
"I'd say so. Have you seen a woman that hangs out around him? Long blonde hair…"  
  
The manager nodded, "Yeah, she comes in here and sometimes helps. Both of them volunteer to work on weekends to catch up if we're behind."  
  
"Do you know her name?"  
  
"Angely Buv."  
  
"Do they do any traveling for you?"  
  
Again he nodded, "Sure. I send them off sometimes to Corellia or something, just for Ducyn to check up on what the other stores are doing. See if there's anything they're doing that we should. Sometimes he goes off on conferences, to meet with the owner. He's a representative for this store."  
  
"Does the woman go with him?"  
  
"I don't see the harm."  
  
"How often do they go to these conferences?"  
  
"Every now and then. Whatever comes up. Sometimes days and sometimes weeks will be in between the trips. He's a good worker." The manager said again.  
  
Sitya stepped forward and asked him a question, "Does he have a specific stall where he works?"  
  
"The very back one."  
  
"What type of envelopes and paper do you use?"  
  
"We use a black hard envelope when we have to send out official mail. We have a box of paper in my office. We use it for everything in the business."  
  
Sitya looked over at the Captain, who then looked at one of his officers. "Where is you office?"  
  
The manager gave them directions and the officer left.  
  
"What about the name Razor?"  
  
The manager shrugged, "Just something to catch peoples attention."  
  
The Captain was staring at him, "Have you been watching the news?"  
  
"Nah. With all those horrible murders that are happening, that's all they report on. I got sick of it and haven't watched it for a long time."  
  
"Can I smell your soap?" Sitya asked.  
  
The manager took them to Ducyn's stall and showed Sitya where the soap was kept. It was a sort of thick blue paste and it had the same smell as the victims clothing. Sitya stood and surveyed the stall. It was neat and spotless, so clean it practically shine. She saw a sprayer attached to the wall and had a sinking feeling about that had been used for. Sitya spotted a white mound in the corner of the room.  
  
Sitya walked over and opened her medical bag, digging out a pair of gloves. She slipped them on and poked the mound. Lifting up a large, white, silky shirt. "Why are these here?"  
  
The manger shrugged, "We get investors who come in and want to look at the place. We have them wear those so they don't get dirty. All of the employees wear them. Ducyn's place is the cleanest and most presentable. I thought it would be safer for them to be put here."  
  
"Are all your investors different types of species?"  
  
The man nodded.  
  
"And the clothes are made to fit different sizes?"  
  
Again the man nodded.  
  
"Have you noticed that any of them have gone missing."  
  
The manager shrugged, "We throw out the old ones whenever we get a new batch. Every two weeks."  
  
"Do you know where Mr. Utver is now?"  
  
"He called in sick."  
  
Sitya stood up again and walked around the stall. Standing over the drain that was in the middle of the floor. She knelt down closer to the drain, she smelt blood. "I'm going to ask you to turn off the light when I say so." Sitya again walked over her medical bag and got out a long cord of something that was attached to a little black box. Sitya stood and started to unwind the curled cord and took the end of it in her hand.  
  
"This device allows us to see blood that's been wiped away. If there is blood present it'll light up blue."  
  
She nodded to the officer next to the light and he flicked them off. Sitya angled the end around the drain; it lit up a brilliant blue. Sitya continued to walk around the room and when finished with the floor she moved over to the walls. Everything was blue and gleamed in the dark whenever the light passed over it. Finally she directed the light up to the ceiling and it too lit up. Apparently the whole stall had been at one time been covered in blood.  
  
"I think that's enough." Sitya said and asked for the lights to be turned on again. She looked at the Captain, "I do believe we found the place where he tortured some of his victims."  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan lay awake in bed. He couldn't sleep. He kept having these visions of the young boy and the way Sitya looked as she analyzed the body. He decided to get up and go to the kitchen for something to drink.  
  
He padded his way into the kitchen and it was on his way back when he saw Sitya in the middle of the living room, sitting cross-legged and her eyes closed.  
  
Obi-Wan moved forward and sat down beside her. Sitya didn't move, but she did speak.  
  
"I always tried not to disturb you when you where in here." One eye popped open and looked over at him.  
  
"How long have you been in here and what are you doing?"  
  
Sitya gave a harsh laugh, "I couldn't sleep and I'm trying to mediate."  
  
"Not working?"  
  
Sitya shook her head and sighed.  
  
"Was that necklace, really your bravery necklace?"  
  
Sitya nodded. "It was just a little thing that I bought at a museum gift shop. In England. Lara and Riggs were with me, she took me to the Egyptian exhibit and I wanted to buy something to remember it. It was just a little thing." She said again. "But it just became something that I felt helped me through my life." She shrugged. "Sounds stupid, doesn't it?"  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head, "No it doesn't. It must have been hard to give up something that meant that much to you."  
  
Sitya nodded her head.  
  
"Do you want to talk about today?"  
  
Sitya squeezed her eyes shut, she felt tears coming. "I couldn't help that boy. I was too late. I couldn't help him."  
  
Obi-Wan put an arm around her as Sitya started to cry. She turned her head into his chest and started to sob.  
  
"I'm doing a horrible job." She mumbled into his chest.  
  
Obi-Wan raised one hand and rubbed her back, speaking into her hair. "No you're not. You've done more than any of us could have hope for. You found where the two took their victims and tortured them. We've cornered off that route and when they come back, we'll get them."  
  
"If they come back." Sitya's voice was muffled.  
  
Obi-Wan gave her a hug and held her to him, "We'll get them. And we wouldn't have been able to do it without you."  
  
Sitya gave a small nod, but still continued to cry silently. She was exhausted and after a while she fell asleep leaning against Obi-Wan.  
  
Obi-Wan continued to rub her back as she slept and when he was tired, Obi-Wan lay down on the floor, holding Sitya next to him.  
  
  
  
Bant woke up early in the morning, she wanted to prepare a breakfast for Sitya and try to make her cheer up. All the Jedi had noticed that the little boy's death had affected her greatly and they all knew she blamed herself for not thinking of the intergalactic stores or that a vehicle wash would be where they would find the soap that caused the odor on the clothing. And the evidence that it was the place where some or all of the victims were tortured and/or murdered.  
  
Bant made her towards the kitchen and stopped when she saw two forms lying in the middle of the living room. She had to smile when she saw it was Obi-Wan and Sitya. Bant decided that she would go out and buy the food she needed for breakfast and come back later. She didn't want to disturb them yet.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan woke up when he heard the door close behind Bant. He sighed and turned his head into Sitya's hair again. He gently squeezed her and raised himself on his elbow to look at her face. It was calm and relaxed. Obi-Wan nodded, happy. At least she seems to getting the rest she needed.  
  
He lay back down and held her for a long time. He dozed in and out of sleep and felt Sitya stirring beside him. He smiled and again sat up to look down at her. "Morning Sunshine."  
  
Sitya mumbled and raised an arm to cover her eyes. "Go away."  
  
"Time to get up." He said cheerfully.  
  
"Don't want to."  
  
"Well you have to." He sat up and pulled her up with him.  
  
"Hey!" Sitya looked around confused, "What are we doing in here?"  
  
"You fell asleep. Remember?"  
  
Sitya thought back and was embarrassed about the way she had behaved the night before. "I thought you said you didn't want to wake up next to me." Sitya stood up.  
  
Obi-Wan stayed on the floor. "I can make a few exceptions now and then."  
  
Sitya looked down at her pajamas and tried to straighten them out, "Where's Bant?"  
  
"She went out about an hour ago. I think she went to go buy some food for breakfast."  
  
"Good, I'm starved." Sitya went into the kitchen and started her daily ritual of making café.  
  
Obi-Wan moved out of the way to answer the door when the bell started to ding. Bant was standing outside, her arms full of bags. "Could you help?" she asked.  
  
Obi-Wan laughed and took two bags from her. "There's only three people here that you have to feed."  
  
Bant shrugged, "Then we will also have lunch and diner." She pointed outside the door. "There's a package outside the door. Someone must have left it while you two were sleeping."  
  
In the kitchen, Sitya started to blush.  
  
Obi-Wan was suspicious, "Why didn't they press the bell?"  
  
Bant started to look concerned. "I thought you would still be sleeping and just didn't hear."  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head, "I woke up when you left. When you closed the door."  
  
Sitya blushed more; Obi-Wan had watched her sleep for an hour? She came out of the kitchen and helped Bant bring in the bags, while Obi-Wan went out to pick up the package. "What are you going to make?"  
  
The Mon Calamari answered, "It's a surprise."  
  
Obi-Wan again returned into the quarters, a ripped open box in his hand, he was angry.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sitya asked.  
  
Obi-Wan just shook his head and told her to go and help Bant. He walked into his room and got out his comlink. "Master we have a problem. You should get down here right away." He set the package on his bed and stared at it.  
  
Sitya walked into his room, "What is it?"  
  
Obi-Wan turned around and lashed out at her, "I thought I told you to stay with Bant!"  
  
Sitya backed up; shocked Obi-Wan would yell at her. "You don't have to go all fatherly on me! I'm a big girl now and I can handle surprises. I have been able to for a long time now!" Sitya shot back.  
  
The Mon Calamari came into the room as well, "What's happened?"  
  
Sitya snorted, "Mr. Boss over there doesn't feel inclined to include us in his little secret."  
  
Obi-Wan was getting angry, "You don't want to see this." He stated.  
  
Sitya looked at him coldly and walked up to him, "Let me be the judge of that." Sitya grabbed the box from Obi-Wan's bed and ripped it open. "Oh shit…" she dropped the box on the bed and slowly backed away from it. "Those two are really sick bastards!" she exclaimed. Sitya couldn't help it, she started crying hysterically. Obi-Wan walked over and hugged her, holding her tightly.  
  
Bant walked forward as well and peered inside. Inside was a smiling photograph of Neyt splattered with blood. Underneath Bant could see something else. She reached in and pulled out a holovid. She glanced over at Obi-Wan, "Should we watch it?"  
  
Obi-Wan glanced down at Sitya, "I think we should wait for Master Qui- Gon and then we'll talk about watching it."  
  
  
  
Qui-Gon, Mace, Yoda and a dozen other Jedi came to the quarters. Sitya had moved to her room and was sitting on her bed. She stared blankly at the floor and didn't look up when Yoda entered.  
  
"Disturbed you are." The small Master stated.  
  
Sitya continued to stare at the floor. "I think it would be even more disturbing if I wasn't."  
  
Master Yoda moved to where Sitya was staring and stood in her view. "True that it. Safe here it is not. Leave you will."  
  
Sitya nodded, "Good idea."  
  
"Move to Center. Idea you have? How found you were?"  
  
Sitya shook her head. "Are you going to be watching the video?"  
  
Yoda nodded his head. "Watch you will?"  
  
She bit her lip, "Yes."  
  
Qui-Gon came in. "Everything's been arranged. Sitya can move to the Center now. A room's been set up." He glanced over at Sitya. "We're going to be watching the holovid in one of the conference rooms. Captain Furt has been notified and is coming as well. Are you going to be watching it as well?" He gave her a concerned look. He didn't think that she was in a right state of mind to handle whatever was going to be on the vid.  
  
Sitya nodded her head and let out a breath, "Bring it on." She stood up and walked out to where the rest of the people were gathered, in the living room and kitchen.  
  
Bant spotted her and walked over. "Are you all right?"  
  
Sitya shook her head, "In a little while I think. When this is over."  
  
Bant showed her understanding and placed a webbed hand on her arm. "Everything will turn out alright."  
  
"Are you going to be coming with me to the Center, to stay?"  
  
Bant nodded, "Obi-Wan as well."  
  
Mace walked up to her, "We're moving to the conference room now, Captain Furt and his people are almost here. Are you sure you want to watch this? It is you they want to play with and it will most likely be directed to scare or hurt you."  
  
Sitya nodded her head, "I feel like I have and obligation to watch it. Maybe it'll show something that they didn't want us to. Does that sound crazy?" she looked over at Bant.  
  
The Mon Calamari shook her head, "We will get through this."  
  
She took her arm and led her out of the room, Sitya didn't pay attention where she was going, she just allowed Bant to guide her and trusted her to take care of her. Sitya went back in her mind about all the things that she had said and done. Anything that would have pointed the killers to where she was staying. She couldn't think of anything and she decided to try again later, when she didn't have a lot on her mind.  
  
Sitya glanced behind her and saw Obi-Wan trailing behind her and gave him a small smile. He looked at her and then looked away. Was he mad at her?  
  
The Jedi opened a door and Sitya stepped into a room that was stadium seated, like a university lecture hall. Captain Furt and about three other officers were already there, including Kuygter. The Captain walked up to her, he seemed genuinely concerned.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Sitya was getting tired of everyone asking her that and was ready to scream; instead she just smiled, "Yes."  
  
The Captain nodded and pointed her to a seat in at the front of the hall. Sitya sat down, Bant beside her and saw Obi-Wan stand off to the side. What's wrong with him? Sitya shifted uncomfortably when Kuygter sat on her other side. She really didn't like him and hated to think that he thought she couldn't handle what had been sent to where she was staying. She had a desire to prove to him that she hadn't been disturbed as she really was.  
  
"What do think is on the vid?" Kuygter asked her.  
  
Sitya didn't look at him, "I don't know, but we'll find out."  
  
Mace stood in front of the assembled group, "I don't think there needs to be anything said before we watch this. We believe it was sent by the killers that have just killed the young boy yesterday. It was delivered to where Dr. Basts was staying. A location that has had top priority of remaining secret. The only beings to know where she was staying, were myself, Master Yoda, Master Qui-Gon, Jedi Bant and Obi-Wan and lastly the Captain. If anyone has any ideas of who else could have heard of where Dr. Basts is asked to speak now." No one said anything. Mace sighed, "I'll turn on the holovid now." He turned off the lights and sat down between Bant and Qui-Gon.  
  
Sitya focused on the holovid and her mouth almost dropped open. It had various images of herself. On Earth. How is that possible? She glanced to Qui-Gon and Mace and saw the same disbelief on their faces. It was too dark to see what Obi-Wan's expression was.  
  
It started with flashes from the photograph Sitya had seen before. The one with Lara, Riggs and herself in front of Lara's mansion. It next went to her working out with Lara on her obstacle course. The time when they had challenged each other to a race. The ended up tied. Her trip to the British Museum and even her in the gift shop buying her necklace, which was now with a young girl.  
  
Sitya again felt disgusted with herself for not noticing that someone was videotaping her.  
  
Scenes from where she worked were taken and her going to the grocery store to buy the small amount of food she knew how to cook.  
  
Sitya stiffened when she saw what the vid showed next. It was inside her apartment. Her apartment. Sitya made up her mind that her residence was up for sale at that second. There was no way she could stay in there anymore.  
  
The vid showed a view of her room. Her desk, her professional texts, her computer. Everything looked so impersonal. Like she didn't even live there. A large hand reached out and touched her bed; it ran across the covers and trailed along one of the pillows. The hand was the right one and looked like it belonged to a man, it seemed that way because of the oversized shape of it and the callused look it had to it. Sitya also spotted a black tattoo circle with triangles for rays; it was below the pinky and the ring finger. It couldn't have been more than an inch big.  
  
Then the video went to the time when Obi-Wan, Bant and herself had eaten diner at the restaurant. She saw herself almost choke on her drink when Bant told her about Obi-Wan's episode of wearing makeup. It went to the nightclub where she had first seen Ducyn; it was taken from where she had seen him standing. There were various shots of her walking to and from the Center.  
  
There was a sudden burst of static and everyone gathered jumped slightly, Mace moved over to stop the vid, but something else came up.  
  
Sitya's heart dropped when she saw the backdrop of the washing stall she had been in before. The walls were covered in blood and a little form huddled on the floor also covered in blood. Ducyn and Angely walked into the view of the camera. It had no sound, but by the looks of it, they were laughing. Angely walked over to the huddled form and roughly yanked its head by the hair. It was Neyt. His face and hair covered in blood, Sitya could see little streaks of tears running down his cheeks. Ducyn then stepped over and held a knife in front of the boy's face. He twisted it in his hand and talked to the boy as the metal of the knife glinted in the light.  
  
Ducyn abruptly brought the knife down and cut down the boy's chest. Sitya could feel a tightness in her throat and began to think that she would begin to cry.  
  
Everyone continued to watch as the two moved around the boy, laughing as they cut him. Next, Angely moved out of view and came back with the bucket full of some sort of liquid. She dumped on the boy and Sitya saw it was the same blue paste she had seen before, the soap. Ducyn then came in and started to spray the boy from on of the sprayer attached to the wall. He continued to do this for a while, until he was satisfied that the boy was clean enough.  
  
He set down the sprayer and moved towards the boy. Sitya was again surprised when she saw a hand poke out into the camera's view. It was again what looked to be a man's hand and it was the right one. This time with no circle tattoo.  
  
The two killers looked over to the camera and paused for awhile. They nodded and knelt beside the boy. Raised his face up and smiled at the camera, waving. The holovid again startled them by bursting static and Mace again got up to turn it off.  
  
He flicked on lights and stared at the gathered beings. "Any ideas or insights."  
  
"There's four people behind this." Sitya stated. She could feel people looking at her and she continued. "When they showed m… the apartment the hand had a tattoo on his right hand. At the wash, we saw Ducyn and Angely. But later we also saw a right hand, this time there wasn't a tattoo on it."  
  
Kuygter nodded, "She's right. We have four crazy people on our hands."  
  
The group continued to talk, throwing ideas around about where the two killers they had identified were at this time. Most if not all of the ideas sounded impossible and Yoda thought it wise they take a break. He dismissed them, but had the Jedi stay.  
  
Mace, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Bant, Sitya and Yoda moved in closer together, after the officers had left.  
  
Qui-Gon started first, "How were all those things recorded on Earth? How is that possible? It's not like something can be invisible."  
  
"Yes, something can. Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak. They do make you invisible, but are extremely rare." Sitya told them.  
  
"What about getting into your apartment?" Obi-Wan asked. "How would he know where you lived?"  
  
Sitya shrugged, "There have been times where I've had run ins with the press. They would show up at my apartment block and take pictures. They're asked not to print them, but the do. Maybe there was one that had a sign on it. He could have figured out where I lived from that."  
  
"What kind of run ins?"  
  
Sitya looked over at Obi-Wan, "I have been involved with homicide and serial killing investigations before. The press wants details on a crime, especially if it's particularly violent."  
  
Bant looked over at her, "That was you apartment?"  
  
"Not anymore. It went up for sale as soon as I saw that."  
  
Yoda looked at the gathered group, "Tired you are all. Rest you must."  
  
The group then got up and prepared to move to the Center where Sitya would now be staying.  
  
Sitya saw that Kuygter was waiting outside the conference room. "Captain Furt told me to help you move into your new quarters. Anything you want me to do?"  
  
Sitya shook her head as she made her towards her old quarters, the Jedi following behind her.  
  
Reaching the old quarters, Sitya walked into her room and started to pack her bags, she was annoyed when Kuygter followed her in and sat down on the bed, he watched her as she placed her clothes in the suitcase.  
  
"You sure there's nothing I can do?"  
  
Sitya nodded her head, "Nothing. I'll be out in a minute."  
  
Kuygter didn't take the hint and stayed on the bed. "How does it feel to be the focus of a bunch of serial killers?" he asked, a smile on his face.  
  
Sitya paused in her packing and glanced over at him, "You make it sound like I should be honored."  
  
Kuygter shrugged, "Why would they focus on you? I haven't even heard of you until a few days ago."  
  
"Maybe they just like making people's lives a living hell."  
  
To her surprise Kuygter started to laugh. "You better hurry up and finish packing. We want to get you settled before its night."  
  
Sitya watched as he practically bounced out of the room.  
  
  
  
Sitya walked into her new quarters and looked around. It wasn't as big as the one in the Jedi Temple. Everything was squished in, to make it fit. An extremely small kitchen was tucked in a corner, two couches and a holovid station made up the living room. A little corridor went off immediately to her left and Sitya saw three doors. One of which was open and Sitya could see that it was a bathroom.  
  
Kuygter came up beside her and took her suitcase, heading down the hall. He stepped into the room farthest from the door. Sitya followed him and walked into where he was placing her case on the bed.  
  
"I suggest you take this room, it's the biggest."  
  
Sitya looked around. It was a sardine can. Bed in the middle and a chest of drawers to the side. A lone picture of a lake was hanging over the bed. And there were no windows.  
  
She turned around when she heard others moving about. Bant was setting up in the other bedroom, across from where Sitya was staying. "Where's Obi-Wan staying?"  
  
"He will be sleeping on the couch." She answered.  
  
Sitya nodded and turned back to her room and began to unpack. She glanced over at Kuygter who still inside her room, watching. "I can unpack myself. I don't need anyone watching me."  
  
Kuygter shrugged, "All right." He got up and left.  
  
When finished Sitya moved to the small living room and sat down on one of the couches. The Captain started to explain something to her.  
  
"Only Masters Mace, Qui-Gon and Yoda have access to this room. Along with Jedi Bant and Qui-Gon. The only other person who also has access is myself." He handed her a card. "This is the key to get in, in case you're out. I don't suggest you go out alone, have someone with you."  
  
Sitya nodded.  
  
The Captain glanced at his chrono, "It's nearly time for diner. I'll get one of the officers to bring you something. After you eat I suggest you get some sleep. You've had a rough day."  
  
Sitya snorted, "I've had worse." The other people in the room stared at her, "I've done this sort of thing before you know. It's my job. Not as brutal as this, but I've been taunted before. I know what I'm supposed to do."  
  
"Do you really?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Yeah. Sit back and wait for the bad guys to make their next move and I clean up after them," she said bitterly.  
  
Kuygter and the Captain got up.  
  
"I'll get diner." Kuygter offered.  
  
  
  
Sitya slept fitfully through the whole night. She didn't think she got more than five minutes peace before she started to have nightmares or she was thinking about how the killers could have found out where she was staying.  
  
Sitya gave up trying to sleep, it was seven in the morning anyway. Sitya got up, dressed and walked into the living room; Obi-Wan was sitting on one of the couches. He glanced up at her, but didn't say anything.  
  
Sitya moved into the kitchen and got a cup of café. Again she thought she was relying too much on the stuff. She moved into the living room and sat on the other couch.  
  
Obi-Wan didn't look up at her.  
  
"Where's Bant?"  
  
"She went out." Again he didn't look at her.  
  
She was getting angry, "What is your problem?"  
  
Obi-Wan glanced up at her, "I told you I didn't want you to look in that box. But you did anyway. Could you have at least listened to me for once?"  
  
"I would have seen what was in it anyway." She reasoned.  
  
"You didn't have to see it like that. Not after what you had just seen and done."  
  
"Obi-Wan. I've already explained to you that it's my job. Why shouldn't I have just looked at it right away, instead of worrying about it?"  
  
"Have you ever considered that you push yourself to hard?"  
  
"How else am I supposed to work when there are maniacs running around torturing and killing people?" she retorted. "Someone has to do all the dirty work so these people can be caught and locked up!"  
  
Obi-Wan got up and started pacing angrily in front of her. "I don't want you doing this anymore. Not here and not on Earth."  
  
Sitya got up as well and stabbed a finger in his chest, "You're not my guardian angel or anything like that and you have no right to tell me what I can and can not do."  
  
Obi-Wan raised his hands up in the air, "I pity anyone who would spend the rest of his life with you! You're impossible."  
  
"You can leave personal relationships out of this. They have nothing to do with this conversation."  
  
"Don't they? Have you ever been in a relationship before?"  
  
Sitya frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"Have you ever allowed someone in you life that you've cared about? Someone you would listen to?"  
  
"I still don't see where this is supposed to be leading." She angrily said.  
  
"You've been so wrapped up in your work you don't let anyone in. Someone who would comfort you after you came home from work? After all the stuff you've seen, would you let someone get close enough to you, that you would tell them everything that was bothering you? You need someone like that Sitya. Or else you're going to crack."  
  
Sitya snorted, "What makes you think I need something like that in my life. I've been on dates, thank you very much. And I just don't feel like I have the time to do anything like that. Besides, who do you think would want to spend the rest of his life with me? You? You even said that I was impossible. Maybe I like being impossible and independent. I don't need anyone."  
  
Obi-Wan stared at her for a very long time, he moved when the door rang. "Who is it?" he asked at the door.  
  
"Kuygter. I got breakfast."  
  
Obi-Wan opened the door and let him in. Kuygter brought in a large roller tray, covered with a white draping cloth, "I didn't know what you guys would want so I brought a little bit of everything."  
  
"I'm not hungry." Obi-Wan moved to get his jacket, hanging on the couch he had been sitting on.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked over at her, "I think I need some air. Think about what I said. The answer could be staring you right in the face." He turned and walked out of the room, the door hissing shut behind him.  
  
Sitya let out an angry hiss of frustration. She knew it was childish, but she gave the closed door the finger, directed at Obi-Wan's back. How was he able to make her so mad? She slumped back down on the couch and put her head in her hands.  
  
"Did I come at a bad time?"  
  
Sitya looked up, "No. It was going nowhere anyway."  
  
Kuygter walked over to her. "I brought you some of that fruit you like, Jyrkg. Do you want some?"  
  
Sitya nodded absently, "Sure." She leaned forward towards the small table in the room and picked up a datapad. She had been over it hundreds of times before and practically had the whole thing memorized. She'd go over all the information again about the crimes anyway and see if she could find anything that she had missed  
  
Kuygter turned back to the trolley and lifted up a plate of purple fruit and set it down before her.  
  
Sitya didn't notice and continued to stare at the datapad in front of her.  
  
"You really should eat."  
  
Sitya glanced up and sighed. She reached forward and stabbed one of the fruit with her fork and popped it into her mouth. She again looked back down at her datapad.  
  
"What are you looking for?"  
  
"Just seeing if there's anything that I've missed."  
  
Kuygter lifted up the fruit and held it in front of her face. "One slice isn't going to fill you up."  
  
Sitya was getting frustrated; she was trying to concentrate on studying the datapad, but couldn't focus with him interrupting her. She again reached for the fork and stabbed a few more pieces of fruit. Popping them into her mouth she said, "That's enough. I think that'll do me."  
  
Kuygter seemed satisfied and sat down across from her, on the couch Obi-Wan had just vacated. He watched her as she continued to study the datapad.  
  
Sitya was starting to get drowsy and sick. She started to lose focus on the pad in front of her. The numbers swimming in her vision. Was she really that tired?  
  
"How does it feel to know that some type of killer was in your apartment?"  
  
Sitya sighed, "It's not something that makes me happy. That's for sure. I'm moving as soon as I get back home."  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kuygter lean back on the couch and smile. Sitya felt wary, "No one told you that was my apartment."  
  
Kuygter shrugged, "I just assumed it was yours. It is you the killers are toying with."  
  
Sitya tried to focus her vision and stood up, stumbling as all the blood rushed from her head. "You where in the Captain's office when I told him where I was staying."  
  
Kuygter nodded, he was still smiling, "What else?"  
  
"You led us past that 'Razor' nightclub. One you just happened to visit. You were there when I found out about the wash. You ran off and I didn't see you again, until you were notified about the murder scene." She paused and looked at him horrified. "You told Ducyn and Angely that I was on to something. You told them and you knew they were going to murder him?!"  
  
Kuygter stood up and started clapping, "Congratulations. The great Dr. Basts has figured out the mystery." He started walking towards the door and opened it. Ducyn and Angely were standing outside, the man holding a recording device. The on button flashing.  
  
Kuygter waved them in and shut the door. Sitya was having problems standing up and sat down on her couch, her eyes resting on the fruit. He drugged me.  
  
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Kuygter's mystery hour. The great doctor here," he pointed to Sitya behind him. "Has just figured out one of her life's mysteries. She's found out three of the four serial killers that are out causing havoc and making her life miserable."  
  
Kuygter moved farther into the quarters and sat down before Sitya. Her vision was really getting fuzzy and her head heavy. He put his hands on her lap and then his chin on his hands.  
  
"Unfortunately… she was too late. The killers outsmarted her and are now going to torture and kill her, just as the other victims have suffered." He turned back to the other two and gestured them forward. "Ducyn set that thing down and get over here. Angely come too, let's get a group picture." He turned back to Sitya and gave her a wicked smile, "Don't forget to wave."  
  
Sitya shot him as dirty a glare as she could, she didn't even know if it was aimed in the general direction of where he was sitting before her. All she could see were some unmoving blurs and then a couple of moving ones. She shut her eyes and tried to calm herself, trying to remember what Yoda and the other Jedi have taught her when she had a little time to learn. Her breathing slowed and when she opened her eyes again they were less fuzzy and her head was a little clearer.  
  
Sitya glanced over to her right and saw Ducyn sitting beside her on the right, Angely moved to her left. Kuygter stayed where he was on the floor before her.  
  
Kuygter continued to look at her, "Wave at the nice camera." He taunted.  
  
Sitya focused her eyes on him and then lowered her head. She was deciding which of the three she would hit first. May as well go for the big ones.  
  
Sitya's right elbow flashed out and caught Ducyn on the temple. He groaned and reached for his bleeding temple. Before Kuygter reacted she was already standing and kneed him in the face. She could feel cartilage and bones break. The table in front of them splintered and wood chips flew everywhere as Kuygter landed on it. So much for that pretty face.  
  
Sitya leapt forward and over the table. She landed on the couch and knocked the camera over onto the floor. Sitya had miscalculated her jump and tripped over it. The couch was then lying on top of her and she struggled to get up.  
  
When she was on her knees and rising to her feet, she felt a pain shoot up into her head and down her spine. Sitya fell on her stomach and saw red flashes before her eyes. She laid still, trying to control her pain. She groaned.  
  
"I thought you said that drug would knock her out." She heard a woman's voice.  
  
"I put enough in it to knock out a Wookiee!" that was Kuygter.  
  
She heard and blearily saw feet move over to the white trolley. There was a swishing and then a bang. Someone knelt down beside her and lifted her up. She stared into Kuygter's eyes.  
  
"Sweet dreams."  
  
Sitya felt something stab her in the neck and then darkness crept up and took her.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan had walked around the Center for an hour, trying to sort out his feelings about Sitya and calm himself before he saw her again. He neared their quarters and had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He ran the rest of the way and unlocked the door in a hurry. Rushing inside he saw the mess.  
  
One of the couches was lying on its side and the wood table was smashed to pieces. Little globs of purple stuff dotted the floor.  
  
Obi-Wan rushed forward further into the room, "Sitya!" he glanced in the kitchen and saw no one there. He ran down the hall to her room and then Bant's room. No one was there. "Sitya!"  
  
Obi-Wan slid down the doorframe of Bant's room, shocked. He sat there for a moment, thinking of what he was supposed to do. He slowly got out his comlink and commed his Master.  
  
"Master…"  
  
"What is it Obi-Wan?"  
  
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Master come. Something has happened."  
  
  
  
Captain Furt, other officers and Jedi moved about the room, trying to find something that would help locate Sitya. Obi-Wan watched blankly as they sorted through the mess.  
  
"We have blood on the floor." An officer pointed.  
  
"Have some on the couch as well." Another pointed out.  
  
A Mon Calamari got up and looked at the two spots. "I don't see any dripping from one location to another. It could be two separate beings."  
  
Obi-Wan saw his Master stand before him. "Obi-Wan, we need to know what happened when you left. Anything you may say might help us find her."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded.  
  
"Why did you leave her in the first place?"  
  
"We… we had a fight. I needed to get away for awhile and cool down."  
  
Qui-Gon gave him a disapproving look, "That's not very professional Obi-Wan. You left her alone?"  
  
Obi-Wan's head shot up. "No… Kuygter was here. He brought some breakfast for us. I wasn't hungry and left before I saw Sitya have any." He looked around the congested place. "The trolley he brought in is gone."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded his head. "So then it was Kuygter who was the last to see her?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"She would have been taken after Kuygter left. But how did they get in the door? There's only a certain number of keys to a known few."  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan sat down in a chair, tired. Sitya had been missing for eight hours now and no one had seen Lieutenant Kuygter anywhere. He was worried. He wanted to see Sitya again so he could apologize for the way he had acted before any of this had happened.  
  
A young Bothan ran in the room and towards Captain Furt. "Package for you sir!" he said excitedly.  
  
The Captain looked down at the young officer, "Don't you see I'm busy? I have work to do and I don't have time to go opening mail."  
  
The officer's face fell. He set down the package near Obi-Wan and quietly left the room.  
  
Obi-Wan stared at the thing; he reached out and touched it. He had a feeling. Obi-Wan took the package and set it on his lap. Studying it he moved his hands around the outside of the small box, it had a presence of fear, pain and evil. He held his breath and started to open the box.  
  
Qui-Gon glanced over and saw that his apprentice was opening the Captain's mail and walked over to Obi-Wan. "What are you doing?" he demanded.  
  
Obi-Wan glanced up at him and then looked inside the box. He reached in and pulled out a holovid. "I think this is what we've been waiting for."  
  
  
  
Qui-Gon had gotten everyone's attention when he saw what Obi-Wan was holding. The Captain then started barking orders to find the Bothan who had brought the package in. They found out that the officer had received the package about five minutes ago and had brought it to the Captain as soon as he had it in his hands.  
  
The Captain then ordered all officers who hadn't been involved in the case from the very beginning to exit the room. There was only the Captain, Bant, Obi-Wan, Mace and Qui-Gon left in the room. They decided to watch the vid right then and not move to a different room. Anytime they spent relocating could mean another minute that would have been taken from Sitya's life.  
  
Captain Furt set up the vid machine and everyone sat down or stood to watch what they were to see.  
  
What they saw first shocked them. It was Lieutenant Kuygter who they saw in front of them.  
  
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Kuygter's mystery hour. The great doctor here," he pointed to Sitya behind him. "Has just figured out one of her life's mysteries. She's found out who three of the four serial killers that are out causing havoc and making her life miserable."  
  
Kuygter moved farther into the quarters and sat down before Sitya. She looked like she was having trouble focusing on what was in front of her.  
  
Kuygter put his hands on her lap and then his chin on his hands.  
  
"Unfortunately… she was too late. The killers outsmarted her and are now going to torture and kill her, just as the other victims have suffered." He turned back to the other two and gestured them forward. "Ducyn set that thing down and get over here. Angely come too, let's get a group picture." He turned back to Sitya, "Don't forget to wave."  
  
Sitya shot him as dirty a glare and then closed her eyes. She slowly opened them again and glared at Kuygter in front of her. Her eyes now seemed focused and a bit clearer. She glanced to her right where Ducyn was sitting and then to her left where Angely was. Kuygter continued to sit in front of her.  
  
Kuygter continued to look at her, "Wave at the nice camera." He taunted.  
  
Sitya lowered her head and then lashed out with her right elbow and hit Ducyn on the temple. He leaned forward covering his wound and tried to stop the already flowing blood. Kuygter didn't have time to react and Sitya dealt him a solid blow to the face.  
  
The people couldn't help but wince at the sound of breaking cartilage.  
  
Kuygter fell back and broke the table.  
  
They watched as Sitya jumped over the table and landed on the couch. They saw as she lost her balance and toppled over, the camera falling on its side and showed Sitya sprawled on the floor trying to get up. She got on her knees and a foot lashed out and hit her in the back of the neck.  
  
Sitya fell forward and groaned.  
  
"I thought you said that drug would knock her out." they heard a woman's voice.  
  
"I put enough in the food to knock out a Wookiee!" they heard Kuygter say.  
  
They saw Kuygter walk over to the food trolley and lift up the white cloth. It was solid, but a handle was visible and Kuygter pulled on it, revealing a hollow space. He drew out a needle and walked over to where Sitya was lying.  
  
Kuygter lifted her up so she was looking at his face, "Sweet dreams."  
  
He put the needle to her neck and squeezed the syringe. Sitya's eyes slowly closed and she lay still.  
  
Kuygter then gestured for Duncyn to come over. "Help me put her in the trolley."  
  
The two lifted her up and placed her in the hollowed out area. Angely shut the door and covered it with the cloth.  
  
"How long is she going to be out?" Angely asked.  
  
"It should be for two hours. But after what happened just now, I don't want to take any chances. Let's move right now. Chain her up and then we won't have to worry about anything like this happening again."  
  
Angley spotted the camera and leaned over to pick it, "It's still on. Should I turn it off?"  
  
Kuygter was walking down the hall towards the rooms, "Yeah. May as well. Nothing else is going to be happening for awhile."  
  
The vid became static.  
  
"Why would Kuygter be going down the hall to the rooms?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
Qui-Gon shook his head. "I don't know."  
  
The vid turned on again. The three killers where in a dank sort of place, very untidy. Distant music could be heard. The camera showed Sitya tied to the ceiling, she was sagging and a rope was digging into her flesh. She could just touch the floor with the tips of her toes. Her eyes were closed.  
  
Kuygter stepped forward and backhanded her across the face. "Wake up!"  
  
Sitya groaned and slowly opened her eyes, blinking. "What the hell…" she glanced over and spotted the camera. "What the hell is with the camera? You trying to earn an award or something? Or do you think you're going to be a vid star?" she sneered at Kuygter. "'Cause I don't think you're going to be getting anywhere with that face now."  
  
Kuygter's brutal face became angry and he punched her in the stomach. Sitya let out a whoosh of air and she groaned.  
  
Kuygter stood in front of her, seeing if she would say something else. When she didn't he grinned. "The vid is for the 'boss.' He likes to bee kept up to date with things. Likes to see that his resources and money aren't going to waste. One will be sent to him and the other to your friends." He started to walk around her. "I do believe that by now your friends are curious about how you got here."  
  
Sitya remained silent.  
  
"No?" he hit her across the face again. Sitya still didn't say anything. "Speak!"  
  
Sitya glanced up to look at his face. "He was in the office when I told the Captain where I was staying. He just so happened to walk by that nightclub where Ducyn was. He sided with me to go in. He was at the Center when I came in after finding out where the smell came from and the intergalactic link. He asked what was happening and disappeared. He commed Ducyn and Angely telling them something was up. That was why Neyt's murder was unlike the others. They were interrupted." She paused to catch her breath. "He brought breakfast in. It was drugged. After Obi-Wan left he made me eat and when I was effected by the drug he opened the door and let," she nodded her head in the other two's direction, "Those two assholes in."  
  
While Sitya spoke, Obi-Wan held his head in shame. What had he done?  
  
Kuygter nodded, as if satisfied. He turned to speak to his companions, but Sitya continued to talk.  
  
"Tell me Kuygter. Why did you rape those other victims? Was it because you couldn't get any the normal way? Did women laugh at you when you asked them out? Or was it because they saw how stuck up you were and they just flat out said no?"  
  
Kuygter turned again to face her. The camera caught his face full of rage. He stalked up to her and stared her in the face. Their noses almost touching.  
  
"What's she doing?" Obi-Wan hissed.  
  
Sitya continued to talk, "I don't think your going to be getting any, the normal way now. Not with that ugly face. Crooked nose and blood shot eyes." Sitya again sneered. "I think they're just going to laugh. Biggest joke they would ever hear in their lives. Going out with a loser like you."  
  
The group watching the vid were helpless as they saw Kuygter vent his rage on Sitya. He went berserk as he hit and punched the tied up woman for five minutes.  
  
Sitya tried her best not to scream and succeeded, but she was shaking and out of breath. She hung her head down, trying to ignore the pain.  
  
When Kuygter was tired, he glared at her. He took her by the jaw and forced her to look up. "I want you to scream." He said furiously.  
  
Sitya just stared dully at him.  
  
Kuygter gestured for Ducyn to come over.  
  
The big man walked over and stood in front of the tied woman. He reached into his back pocket and brought out a very large knife. He twisted it in her face. The steel surface gleamed in the feeble light. He smiled wickedly, "You know… this is the same knife I used on that little boy." He paused. "Perhaps you'd like to know how it feels to have it rip open your flesh?"  
  
Sitya just closed her eyes and relaxed.  
  
"She's using the Force." Qui-Gon stated.  
  
They watched as Ducyn moved around her and started to cut her. Tearing her clothes and digging into her skin. Sitya would press her lips together every time Ducyn used the knife.  
  
It carried on for 15 minutes and they watched as Kuygter got angry again. He stalked out of the camera's view and came back carrying a silver cylinder.  
  
The Jedi in the room, watching the vid tensed. That was why Kuygter had gone to the rooms.  
  
Sitya eyed the thing and then looked up to Kuygter's face. Her attention again focused on the cylinder as he ignited the cylinder and a clear, white light shot out.  
  
Kuygter stepped closer to Sitya and smiled when he saw the panicked look on her face. Sitya's concentration of ignoring the pain was gone. She started screaming when Kuygter brushed it against her stomach.  
  
  
  
Sitya was hanging from the ceiling of the room. Ducyn, Angely, and Kuygter had left a long time ago and as far as she was concerned they could stay that way. Sitya groaned and tried to stand on her tiptoes so she could lessen the strain on her arms and wrists. She didn't last long standing like that and soon lost her balance, the rope digging into her wrists and it felt like her arms were going to pulled out of their sockets.  
  
Her stomach hurt. The lightsaber burns were the worst of what the three had done to her. Of course everything else hurt, but the lightsaber burns were the worst.  
  
She remembered when Kuygter had first brought out her lightsaber. It had been a horrifying feeling. She didn't think she would even be able to look at the thing again, without having nightmares.  
  
The camera was gone. The three had taken it when they had left. Sitya hung her head. She hated to think that her friends would be watching that. What would they think of her, when they heard her screaming like a baby?  
  
The door burst open and Kuygter strode in, looking smug. "Your friends have watched the vid we sent them." His grin broadened. "I must say that they look absolutely helpless. Having no idea what to do."  
  
Sitya shook her head, "They will find you and your little buddies. You're going to be thrown in jail and rot in there until you die."  
  
"And do you think you're going to be alive to see that?" he taunted. "Where do you want me to put you after I'm done? Maybe your Jedi friend's bedroom? On his bed? A last farewell gift before they bury you?"  
  
Sitya gritted her teeth, "You really are sick."  
  
Kuygter continued to grin, "You asked me before about the female humans. Would you like to know?"  
  
Sitya snorted, "Doesn't look like I have much of a choice."  
  
"Right you are. Remember the first meeting you were in? The one where we first met? The ten piece suggestion about leaving it for a payment of their services was correct. Ducyn and Angely paid them for allowing them to have their fun with their knives. I paid the females for their other services."  
  
Sitya looked disgusted. "What do you have against female humans? Some girl dumped you, because you were too whiney? Or was it because you were so full of yourself?"  
  
Kuygter got angry again and hit her, "I could do the same to you."  
  
"So you had to wait for Ducyn and Angely to have their fun first? After they were done and your victim was helpless? You could only do it when you were sure they couldn't stand up for themselves?" Kuygter hit her again. Sitya's already swollen cheeks, started to swell again. "Would you stop doing that!" she hissed.  
  
Kuygter's answer was to hit her again.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan sat in his own quarters, the one he and Master Qui-Gon shared. Sitting on his bed he stared at the grad photograph of everyone gathered together and the girl's mansion. He had heard that Sitya's childhood friends had returned to the Temple. He was sure that by now they would have heard that Sitya had been kidnapped. He didn't want to see them. He felt miserable.  
  
Qui-Gon stood in the doorway and watched his apprentice. He looked terrible and Qui-Gon felt sorry for him. He knew that Obi-Wan blamed himself for what had happened. And it was partly his fault for leaving her alone, but he and everyone else around him, didn't know that Kuygter was apart of what was going on.  
  
"Dawn and Troi have requested to see you. They want to know what's happened to Sitya."  
  
Obi-Wan glanced up, "I don't want to see them."  
  
Qui-Gon sighed and walked into the room, sitting beside his apprentice, "Sitting here brooding and feeling sorry for yourself isn't doing anything productive. Maybe Dawn and Troi could help."  
  
"Do they know about the holovid?"  
  
Qui-Gon nodded his head, "They want to see it."  
  
Obi-Wan viciously shook his head, "There's no way they should be allowed to see that."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded his head in agreement. "They still want to see you. They and Rick and Jack will be here in about ten minutes." He glanced down at his unmoving Padawan. "There's going to be a time when you have to face them. No one's blaming you right now. We all want her back, just as much as you. You will have to see them, a time to face the music if you will."  
  
Obi-Wan snorted, "Face the…" he jumped off the bed. "Say that again!"  
  
Qui-Gon looked confused, "What? Face the music?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, "There was music in the background! Heavy bass." He looked at his Master. "Do you think she would be at the 'Razor' nightclub?"  
  
Qui-Gon looked skeptical. "Do you really think they would be stupid enough to do that?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged, "They've done other things like that. Sending vids and Kuygter even took us passed the nightclub. Practically pointing it out." He was getting excited, "It's worth a shot."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, "I'll notify the other Jedi and the Captain. Let's just hope we're not to late."  
  
  
  
The group raced to where the nightclub was located. Booming music could be heard through the walls and doors. The Captain stopped them outside the doorway.  
  
"What's the best way to approach this?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked towards the doorway. "Kuygter has a friend that works here. Maybe she knows of a place that's in there and looks like a sort of basement."  
  
"Do you know if she's one of the people behind this?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked skeptical, "Personally I think she's too much of a ditz to be able to do stuff like that. She wouldn't have a clue about what's going on."  
  
"How do you suggest of getting her to help?"  
  
"I'll just go in and ask her for it."  
  
The Captain nodded and waved Obi-Wan through. They stood outside the nightclub for ten minutes and were getting nervous, before Obi-Wan appeared again, with a girl in the same outfit as he had seen her wear before, when they had first met.  
  
The girl's eyes widened when she saw the Jedi and officers standing outside the clubs, "I didn't do anything!"  
  
Obi-Wan told her to relax, "Hubnter meet Captain Furt. He has some questions for you."  
  
"Ms. Hubtnter. Have you seen a Lieutenant Kuygter here recently?"  
  
Hubnter's face brightened, "Sure. He's been here for a couple of hours. He's sitting at the bar with two of his friends. A guy and a woman."  
  
"Do you know if there's a basement in this club?"  
  
Hubnter shrugged, "Sure. Kuygter asked if he could use it for a couple of days. Said he's working on a Security project."  
  
The Captain put his hand on her shoulder. "Madam, this is a Security affair. We're going to have to ask you to point out where Kuygter and his friends are and then we're going to have you show us where this basement is."  
  
Hubnter looked confused, "What's going on?"  
  
"There are some very dangerous people in you nightclub and someone is in very serious danger."  
  
Hubtner gluped, "The club isn't going to be getting sued for this are they?"  
  
  
  
The officers burst into the nightclub, yelling for everyone to get on the floor.  
  
Obi-Wan was furious. It wasn't exactly the way he would have handled it. Too many things could go wrong.  
  
He spotted Kuygter and his two friends at the bar. All three of them bolted when they saw all the officers and Jedi run into the club.  
  
Obi-Wan pointed them out to his Master, "They're going that way!"  
  
The three were heading to a door that was tucked in beside the bar. It banged close as the raced they raced through it.  
  
Obi-Wan, Bant, Qui-Gon, Mace and the Captain followed. Racing down steps, trying to catch up to the serial killers.  
  
  
  
Sitya was trying to doze as best she could hanging from a ceiling, she wasn't succeeding. The door to her cell burst open and all three of the killers flooded into the room. Kuygter reached for a knife that was tucked underneath his jacket and drew it out. One of many that Sitya knew he had. He cut at the rope holding Sitya up and she fell.  
  
"Get up!" Kuygter hissed in her ear.  
  
"Someone's come to burst your little party?" Sitya's words were mumbled and barely understood. Her lips were swollen, along with every other part of her face and body.  
  
Kuygter pulled her up by the hair and held her in front of his body. "Shut up and don't do anything stupid!"  
  
What the hell do you think I would be able to do? She wanted to yell at him. Sitya could hardly stand up and her head was starting to hurt from where he was pulling on her hair.  
  
Sitya looked over to the door again and saw the Jedi and the Captain stumble in as well. She felt a detached felling of surprise. She really didn't think she would be seeing them again.  
  
The Captain raised his own blaster and pointed it at Kuygter, the Jedi drew their lightsaber and ignited them.  
  
"Hand Sitya over, Kuygter." Ordered the Captain.  
  
Sitya felt the knife pressed against her throat, "Do you really think I'd do something like that?"  
  
Duycn and Angely stood in front of Kuygter and drew their own blasters and pointed them at the intruders.  
  
Obi-Wan stared at Sitya. Her face was pale; the only color came from the bruises and blood that covered her face. Her clothes were slashed and burned from where the three had cut and hurt her. Obi-Wan felt a growing feeling of anger and fought to keep it under control. She looked absolutely horrible.  
  
Sitya looked over and saw that Obi-Wan was looking at her. She felt the anger growing within in him and gave him a small smile. She thought in her head that anger led to the darkside and sent it to him. She almost laughed when she saw him look confused and he shot her look. She felt in her mind a feeling of reassurance and something else. 'Be careful.' She heard. Sitya snorted and Kuygter looked down at her.  
  
As Kuygter looked down, Ducyn and Angley opened fire on the Jedi and Captain. The Jedi easily deflected the bolts. The Captain got off a quick shot as he was moving to dodge fire and caught Ducyn on the right shoulder. He dropped to the ground and let go of his lightsaber. Qui-Gon reached out with the Force and brought it to his hand.  
  
Mace deflected a shot from Angely. The bolt went up into the ceiling above her and brought durocrete down on her head. She collapsed to the floor and lay unmoving.  
  
Kuygter looked at his too fallen companions and yelled, "Stay back or I cut her throat!" he shrieked.  
  
Sitya couldn't help it she started to laugh.  
  
Everyone looked over at her like she was crazy. "Are you saying that to threaten me to standing still or to them? Because seriously I don't think there's anything else you can do that you haven't done yet."  
  
She felt Kuygter tense and looked at her in disbelief. "You really are crazy." He muttered.  
  
Sitya continued to laugh, tears coming to her eyes. She didn't know if she was crying, because she had just cracked or she was really hurt, "So I've been told." Sitya looked over at Obi-Wan and smiled. She had a plan and was going to use. Her tied hands behind her back worked their way to Kuygter's belt and where he kept the rest of his knives. "Why don't you tell them about your little episodes with the other female humans. How you raped them when they couldn't defend themselves."  
  
Obi-Wan watched as she moved her hands behind her back, he wished she wouldn't do something that stupid, but it was the only plan that anyone had.  
  
Sitya grabbed a hold of one of the knives and worked it free. She used the Force to make him think that the people in front of him, holding the lightsabers and the blasters were much more interesting than she was. Sitya was exhausted as she used the Force to distract him and work through the knot that bond her hands.  
  
She felt a load come off her mind when she felt someone else help her to distract Kuygter. She didn't look to see who it was, but had a pretty good idea of who it was. She focused on her work and was soon free of her bonds.  
  
She almost sighed in relief when she felt blood again rushing into her hands. She tensed as she got ready to do what she had planned. She was so tired and hoped she had enough strength to do what she planned.  
  
Sitya angled the blade so it was facing into Kuygter's stomach and thrust it up.  
  
Kuygter let out a gasp and looked down at his stomach. His hand still holding onto Sitya's hair, "You bitch!" he shrieked.  
  
Sitya turned her head around and faced him, keeping an eye on the knife he held. "I've been called worse."  
  
Kuygter lunged at her with the knife and it went into her left shoulder. Both of them crashed to the floor and both screamed. Sitya could feel the handle on the blade in Kuygter's stomach working its way into the lightsaber burns on her stomach. Kuygter screamed because the blade was working it's way deeper into his stomach.  
  
Sitya felt blood pumping from his stomach and almost threw up. There was no way he would be able to live.  
  
Sitya glanced up into Kuygter's face and saw disbelief. Sitya struggled to get up, but was stopped by a hand on her good shoulder. "Don't move." Obi-Wan spoke in her ear.  
  
Kuygter was lifted off her and moved away. His breath was already coming in short gasps and he would soon be dead. Sitya looked away from him and saw that Ducyn and Angely were being handcuffed and carried or dragged out of the room.  
  
Obi-Wan sat her up and he sat behind her, so she could lean back against her. He gave her shoulder a critical look, "Does it hurt?"  
  
Sitya snorted and glanced back at him, "What kind of stupid question is that?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked sheepish, "I didn't know what else I was supposed to say."  
  
Sitya sighed and closed her eyes.  
  
Obi-Wan got scared and shook her, "You can't go to sleep."  
  
Sitya's eyes shot open, her shoulder really hurt now, "Alright!"  
  
The Captain walked over to them, when the three killers had been moved out of the room. Both living and dead. "How do you feel?"  
  
"How do you think I feel? I've still got the knife stuck in me, don't I?"  
  
The Captain started laughing. "I'll get a doctor to look at that right away."  
  
"I am a doctor," she mumbled as he walked away.  
  
  
  
Sitya sat in her hospital bed and stared longingly out the window. She had been in there for the past three days. Not allowed contact from the outside world, based on the doctors orders that she needed rest. She had a sudden urge to want to fly one of the airspeeders that were cruising passed her window. Preferably something really fast.  
  
The door to her room hissed open and Sitya glanced over. There was a little girl standing in the doorway.  
  
Sitya smiled, "What are you doing here?"  
  
Myndi tentatively stepped closer to her. "You look terrible."  
  
Sitya raised her hand to her face. Most of the bruises and wounds were gone. Thanks to the wonderful bacta the doctors had put her in. She had to admit, it was one of the weirdest feelings in her life to be suspended in a tube of blue stuff and being told it would heal her.  
  
The rest of her body was well on its way to be being fully healed. It still hurt, but the doctors said one or two more dunks and everything would be back to normal.  
  
"Do I really look that bad?"  
  
The little girl grinned and walked up to her bed. Sitya waved her up and Myndi reached over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then sat on her legs, looking up at her. "Does it hurt?" She chewed on the necklace Sitya had given her.  
  
Sitya gave her a smile, "Not any more."  
  
"Are all the bad guys in jail now?"  
  
Sitya didn't know if Myndi knew that she had killed one of them, or that there was still one loose. One they had no idea where he was. Sitya nodded, "Yes."  
  
"They had a big thing on the holonet about you. They showed that thing they had showed before and after all the bad guys were caught. They say they're going to interview you." She glanced up at Sitya, "Everyone at my play school thinks you're a hero. I think you're a hero too. You help people."  
  
Sitya shook her head, "I'm not a hero. The only reason that people think I'm a hero is because of the help and intelligence of my friends. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them." Sitya looked out the window and spotted a reflection. She glanced back and saw Obi-Wan standing just inside the doorway, watching them. She really hated it when he did that.  
  
"One of your friends has been waiting outside, since you first got here. I haven't seen him move."  
  
Sitya smiled and looked at Obi-Wan, he was blushing slightly. "Is it that one right there?" Sitya pointed to where he was standing.  
  
Myndi nodded, "Yep. He's been there the whole time."  
  
Obi-Wan walked closer to the bed, "Thanks for blowing my cover. I told you not to tell her about that."  
  
The girl shrugged. "When you tell someone not to do that. They end up doing it anyway. I thought you knew that."  
  
Sitya started laughing when she saw Myndi scold the young Jedi. "Since you two are in here does that mean I'm going to get other visitors."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and sat down on her bed, he tousled Myndi's hair. "There's a whole line up out there. Some of them may even surprise you."  
  
Myndi fought back and yanked his small ponytail. The three of them goofed around for a bit. Myndi was ganged up on by the other two and they had her rolling around laughing.  
  
They stopped when Myndi had tears in her eyes.  
  
She calmed down and hopped off the bed. "Daddy's waiting outside. He says that he thanks you for what you've done."  
  
Sitya smiled at her. "My pleasure."  
  
Obi-Wan snorted, "That's got some irony to it."  
  
Sitya shot him a dirty look.  
  
Myndi was almost to the door. When she spun around and ran back to her, "I have something for you." She started to dig in her jacket pocket and brought out a box. She placed it on Sitya's lap. "Open it." She urged.  
  
Sitya slowly opened the tiny box. She felt a heart warming ache in her chest. She almost started to cry. It was a necklace that had a small pendant of an animal that closely resembled a dolphin.  
  
"That's my favorite animal. A Vuy. Daddy took me and Neyt to the zoo once and I saw it. I think they look smart. I have three stuffed animals in my room and they help me sleep when I have nightmares." She trailed off. "I really wanted a necklace when I first saw them. But daddy said no, we had to save money for food. I worked really hard at a new store that let's me stay when daddy is gone. My friends at school helped me too. So it's really from my friends at school and myself. Since you gave me your bravery necklace, I wanted to give you another one." She looked down at her necklace. "It's really helped me, you know."  
  
Myndi reached forward and placed the silver necklace around Sitya's neck. She did up the clasp. "Thank you for what you've done." She said solemnly.  
  
Sitya could only nod.  
  
Myndi got down and smiled up at her. "I want to be just like you when I grow up."  
  
Sitya shook her head, "You don't want to be me." She said softly.  
  
Myndi looked confused, "Of course I do. You help people when they're in trouble and you stop bad guys."  
  
Sitya looked at her, "Then promise, you'll only be the good parts of me."  
  
Myndi still looked confused, "But you are good." The doors opened and she walked out.  
  
  
  
Sitya sat back in her bed and again looked out the window. She fingered her new necklace and absently put it in her mouth. Thinking.  
  
Obi-Wan watched her as she started to chew. He laughed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can always tell when you're thinking."  
  
Sitya was confused, "How?"  
  
"You always chew on something."  
  
Sitya took the necklace out of her mouth, "Oh."  
  
Obi-Wan laughed harder, "I think it's cute."  
  
"Cute?" Sitya lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't think macho Jedi used words like that."  
  
Obi-Wan leaned forward and touched their noses together, "Are macho Jedi not allowed to kiss either?"  
  
Sitya smiled, "I don't know. There's only one Jedi I have kissed and I couldn't tell if he was good at it."  
  
Obi-Wan sat back a little. "Could I kiss you now?"  
  
"No." Sitya started to laugh when she saw his hurt expression, "It's not because I don't want you to. I really would."  
  
"Then why not?" he said frustrated.  
  
"It might hurt. In case you haven't noticed I have a swollen lip, bruises all over my face and cuts."  
  
Obi-Wan grinned, "I'll be really careful."  
  
He leaned over and they kissed. Sitya felt happier than she had felt in a long time. She heard laughter in the background and the two of them reluctantly broke apart.  
  
"Why is it, whenever we turn to see you two, you're always kissing?"  
  
Sitya glanced over at the door and saw her childhood friends. "Dawn! Troi!" she shrieked.  
  
The two other young women raced up to the bed and hugged her, as gently as they could.  
  
Dawn stood back and looked her friend over, "Have you been teasing the boys again." She realized what she had just said, "Sorry. Bad joke."  
  
Sitya laughed, "That's alright. Tell me what you two have been up to." She demanded.  
  
Dawn spoke again, "I'll go first. Since my news isn't as exciting as yours." She said to Troi. "Rick and I just got back from this like primitive world. Gladiator styled fights and everything. We went there to track a lead on some Jedi artifacts. We found some holocrons. Master Yoda is looking at them right now." She turned back to Troi, "Your turn."  
  
Troi stepped forward and silently showed Sitya her left hand.  
  
Sitya shrieked and took her hand, yanking it towards her. "Jack proposed!"  
  
Troi nodded. "I'm glad to see you approve." She giggled.  
  
"Heck yes! When did he do it? When are you going to get married? Where are you going to get married? Are you going to have kids?"  
  
Troi laughed, "The doctor said that you could be out of this room at the end of the day. Why don't you and Obi-Wan join the rest of us for diner. Obi-Wan already knows where we're going."  
  
Sitya nodded her head vigorously, "Sure."  
  
  
  
Sitya stood in front of the Stargate and looked at it. All her suitcases were with her and she was ready to leave. She turned around and saw Obi-Wan rushing down the stairs and stumbled into the doorway.  
  
"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?"  
  
Sitya smiled, "I knew you would come."  
  
Obi-Wan made a face, "I hate it when you do that."  
  
"I think that's the first time I've ever done that." She looked at his hands. They were holding suitcases. "Are you planning to come with me?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. "I've got permission to go with you from the Council. They said to make sure you get back safely and find a new apartment. See if there's anything that's amiss."  
  
Sitya nodded her head, "So you're just coming with me on business? Again?"  
  
"No!" He stopped when he saw her smile, "I hate it when you do THAT."  
  
"I'm good at doing that though."  
  
  
  
Sitya and Obi-Wan spent several days in Britain. Visiting Lara and taking Obi-Wan on tours of Britain. She showed him the Museum, the Tower and Buckingham Palace. Everything that a tourist had to see when they visited.  
  
Lara had treated them to a ballet concert on their last day staying with her. Buying them evening gowns and tuxs for them to wear. She said that they needed time together. Without killers and bullets chasing and flying after them.  
  
Both had enjoyed the concert and were on their way back to Lara's mansion.  
  
"You haven't told me what your favorite place is." Obi-Wan told her.  
  
Sitya looked over at him, "I'll show you."  
  
Sitya drove through back roads out into the country. She parked the car in a sort of parking lot and got out. "This way." She took his hand and let him out, onto a field.  
  
Obi-Wan could just make out a circle of structures ahead of them. It was warm outside and stars were shining brightly. "What is this place?"  
  
"This is Stonehenge. That whole circle, everything is made from rocks. Taken from far away." She gestured out to the surrounding area. "I feel in love with this place when I stayed with Lara. I visited it almost every night when I was here."  
  
She sat down and stared at the circle of stones.  
  
Obi-Wan sat down beside her and placed his arm around her waist. She leaned against him and placed her head on his shoulder. "It's beautiful." He said.  
  
  
  
The two arrived in Richmond in the afternoon and Sitya raced out to find her Mustang. She found it and drove to her work right away.  
  
Obi-Wan was amazed, "You really love your job don't you?"  
  
"I have calls to make. Things to organize."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Calling my Real Estate Agent."  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
Sitya parked her car and got out. "Are you coming?"  
  
Obi-Wan got out as well and followed her into the building. Sitya quickly made her way through the maze of hallways and stepped into her room. She nimbly stepped over cluttered papers and desks. She sat down at her desk and dug out her phone. She placed a call and talked to the person on the other side of the phone.  
  
"I don't care if it's short notice. Put a sign up in front of my apartment complex right now. I want it sold as soon as possible." She paused. "Of course I want another place to stay. How long until you can tell me there's something available?… Yes I can make it tonight." She hung up the phone and walked towards the door, grabbing Obi-Wan's arm on the way out. "Let's go talk to my boss."  
  
Sitya walked a little ways from her own office and turned into another room. "Is Dr. Scarpetta in?" she asked an older woman.  
  
"Yes she is Dr. Basts."  
  
Sitya nodded and dragged Obi-Wan into the office joined to the one they had just walked in.  
  
"Sitya! I didn't know you would be back." Scarpetta studied them. "Is that bruises on your face?"  
  
Sitya waved it off as she sat down in one of the chairs before Scarpetta's desk. "Nothing to be concerned about." She stopped. "Well partly there is."  
  
"How was the investigation?"  
  
Sitya shrugged, "I'd say I had better."  
  
Obi-Wan looked over at her like she was crazy; she just smiled in return.  
  
"We were 75% successful. There's still someone out there. Here. He was in my apartment and has been watching me from afar."  
  
Scarpetta looked at them both. "You're serious?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. "We'll explain later. Sitya's already put her apartment up for sell and will be looking at a new apartment this evening."  
  
"Do you have anywhere to stay?"  
  
Sitya shrugged, "I'll stay at a hotel."  
  
Scarpetta stood up. "Nonsense. You can stay at my house until you have your own place to stay. Both of you." She included Obi-Wan. "I can stand some visitors for awhile."  
  
"Are you sure?" Sitya asked.  
  
"Of course. I'll call Marino and we'll all have diner together. You can tell us what's happened and what we can do to catch this other person that's after you. I'll see if I can get a hold of Lucy and Jane as well. They all would like to see that you're alright."  
  
Sitya nodded, "Alright."  
  
"How did the investigation go? Really?"  
  
Sitya sighed. "I went through some pretty rough stuff." Obi-Wan again gave her a weird look. "Would you stop doing that! I already know what I've been through and I don't really like being reminded about it."  
  
Scarpetta looked at her. "I would still like to hear what's happened."  
  
Sitya nodded her head. "I'd also like to say that I appreciate more what you do." She directed at her boss.  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
Sitya sighed. "I don't know how you're able to be the head of investigations and watch over everyone else's work. I don't think I'd be able to do that."  
  
Scarpetta frowned, "I think you would do a good job."  
  
Sitya shook her head, "Don't make me do any stuff like that yet. Not yet."  
  
The End 


End file.
